Hunted
by Zenerific1
Summary: Naruto, the last of the Golden Foxes, is hunted and caught by Sasuke. AU, Yaoi m/m , Rated M because I don't know yet what will happen, but I'm planning on graphic details! XD R/R Unbeta'd Of course its SasuNaru Chapter 7 Finally up!
1. Chapter 1: Running

_**Hunted**_

_Chapter One: Running_

_Written by Zenerific1_

_^_^_

The hunters were coming!

Naruto was thrust into his coat and the hood drawn over his head. The dark leather would serve to camouflage the kit in the darkness. His mother was trying her best not to cry as she pulled the golden fox into her arms and his father stood stoically by. She gave his hair one last stroke before drawing the hood up over the bright locks. Stroking his whisker-scarred cheeks; she studied him, trying to memorize his face.

The adults of the clan were going to stand and fight allowing the nine children to run. Each of them knew that the hunters were really after the children because they were easier to train into obedient pets. Every year the hunters came and every year the clan dwindled. Soon only the domestic breeds would be left.

Minato looked at the boy who stood in his mother's arms not really understanding the gravity of the situation. His enormous cerulean eyes looking at his father in confusion over the way his mother was acting. The father moved to gather the boy into his own arms.

"You have to be brave now, Naruto. You're nearly an adult and you have to protect the little ones under your care. You, Gaara, Kirabi, Yugito, and Yuki have been grouped together while the others will be sent in the opposite direction. Your mother and I, as well as the other adults, will hold the hunters at bay long enough for you to run and hide. We will find you when the hunters are gone but it may take several days. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded against his father's chest feeling the tears gather in his eyes. He clutched the soft leather tunic and prayed harder that the hunters left them alone. Every time the cry went up that hunters had been spotted, he'd been separated from his family and every time he knew that he wouldn't see them again. But in the end he'd been reunited. He'd been one of the lucky ones. His friend Gaara hadn't been so lucky, first his mother had been killed protecting her small family from the hunters, and then last year both of his older siblings had been taken. With every death, and every disappearance of another kit, the small fox clan suffered, then they were forced to move and hide again. Only to be found once more by the determined hunters.

"I've taught you how to hunt and gather food so you know how to survive, but now you have to be strong. I trust you, Naruto, to be safe and stay alive until we find you again. I love you, son," Minato said before releasing his only child. Kushina repeated the words, then the family left the shelter of brush and trooped to where the nine other children were gathered.

The groups were split up and each reluctantly was lead away from their parents in different directions.

Naruto's group was lead by the nearly adult Kirabi who had a penchant for singing in the form the humans called rap. The next oldest was Yugito who was quick as any cat and twice as mean, then Gaara and Naruto who were close to the same age and lastly was Yuki. He was a quiet, shy boy who watched them with the same confusion that Naruto had felt earlier. He was still young enough that he didn't understand fully what was going on.

Naruto reached up and scratched a cob web that had gotten stuck to his ears as they followed a small trail into the hills. There was a break in the trees allowing them to look out over the valley that had been their home for the past six months. With shock they looked out over the scene that was being played out before them. The hunters slashed and jabbed with spears and swords at the people that were defending their children.

Naruto watched in muted horror as a particularly pale hunter with long, blue-black hair pulled a sword from under his cloak and impaled both of his parents on it. His mouth opened to scream only to have Kirabi's hand stop the sound before it could come out. He pulled the boy away from the break and further up the trail only when he felt that they were sufficiently far enough away that the hunters wouldn't hear the boy did he let him go.

Naruto fell to his knees and sobbed out his heart ache while the rest of the group looked on in empathy. Yuki crawled into Yugito's lap and began to cry into her chest, his sympathy for Naruto's heartbreak over coming him. The older ones knew that they wouldn't see their clan again with this group of hunters being especially vicious in their hunt. Gaara stood next to his friend looking down at the heartbroken boy before kneeling next to him offering comfort without actually giving it. He'd learned long ago not to form attachments but he couldn't ignore the bond that had sprung up between him and the golden kit.

With the full onset of darkness the group moved into the brush and trees at the side of the trail to hide. Yugito took up the watch allowing the rest to get some sleep. Their losses had been draining on the whole group and each of the foxes but they, save for Yuki, slept lightly keeping one ear open for the sound of the hunters.

The next day when the sun was high in the center of the sky the group came to the end of the forest. Before them lay rolling hills with little to no cover; the ground was covered in brown grass and scrub. There was a small creek running near by which would offer them some shelter as long as the hunters didn't get near them.

"There's no hope for it," Kirabi stated as he rubbed the goatee that he was so proud of. His ears were hidden by the scarf that was secured around his head. During the winter months, he'd grown to full adult hood, something that he'd be crowing about for the past six months. Fox cub reached full adulthood when they had their first heat. It was a time for celebration and honor. Kirabi had no doubt been wanting to stay with his family and defend their clan but his older brother had insisted the he lead their little group to safety. Naruto had no doubt that he'd be hearing Kirabi grouse about it for the next several days.

"I know," Yugito seconded, "we have to go now or chance being caught."

"Yep, the hunters are still coming after us. I spotted a fire last night." The older blond took the first step leaving the tree line. The others are following closely but now with more caution.

"Let's speed up. There's a chance that we can make it across the valley before they reach this point." Kirabi swung Yuki up onto his back and they started running as fast as they could.

The hope was quickly dashed as the hunters broke from the trees less than ten minutes later. The shout that went up as the scout spotted the fleeing kits echoed across the valley.

"Fuck!" Kirabi pushed his feet to go faster which caused the rest of the group to push past their limits also and they sped across the valley.

Thunder pounded behind them and Naruto glanced back to see that their pursuers were on horse back. He gulped down the fear that rose and turned back to concentrate on the path in front of him. Gaara was right beside him as they brought up the rear. He looked at Gaara with a silent order which the red head nodded to. Suddenly he broke off from the rest of the group slowing slightly as if he was weaker and therefore a better target.

"What the hell is he doing?" Yugito yelled when she noticed Naruto's absence.

"He is creating a diversion so that we can get away," Gaara responded with a glare.

"Is he fucking nuts?"

"The life of one for the lives of many, that's what his father taught him," Gaara said in explanation.

Kirabi heard the exchange and wished the young fox luck in his endeavor.

Naruto watched as the group swept up the slope of a hill and he shifted his direction so that he was running in a perpendicular line leading away from the group. He jumped over brush and debris hearing the horses getting closer. As soon as he thought that they were close enough he quickened his steps only to stumble when his foot slipped into a gopher hole. Snarling a quick cuss word he fixed his balance but it was already too late as the horses surrounded him and he was faced with a sword blade at his throat.

The blade was nothing special but the hilt drew his attention as it looked like a snake was trying to swallow it. He followed the line of the blade up to the white hand that held it and further to the jaundiced eyes that glared back at him. A shudder moved through him as he stared at the man who had killed his parents. His face was extremely pale and his greasy black hair hung in limp threads over one side of his face.

"Finally," the man hissed as he dismounted the horse he was riding and moved closer to the kit he had just captured. He lifted a hand to pull the hood off the kit exposing the golden tufts of hair and the ears that were flattened against the fox's head in anger. He left his hand a little too long and Naruto sank his teeth into the hunter's arm drawing blood.

The man howled as he pulled his arm away from the sharp teeth but wasn't able to do anything further because the fox broke through the ring of men and ran.

"After that bastard fox!" the snake man screamed.

A dark haired man watched the whole thing with an air of amusement and now felt the surge of adrenaline. He's lips quirked up in a seldom seen smile as he wheeled the horse around and took off after the fox. He signaled the men that were also in pursuit to back off because this was going to be his capture. The hunters with him were use to this kind of treatment and cut their pursuit off to wait.

He pulled his horse back keeping pace with the fox but not getting closer. He wanted to see what this young kit had in him.

Naruto ran seeking the ditch that would offer some protection and lept down the bank and barely missed hitting the water. He scurried along the bank, leaping to the opposite side and up the other side. He'd seen the pursuer and had wondered why he hadn't caught up with him, but now he was wondering why the man was playing with him.

A feral grin overtook Naruto's lips; if the man wanted to play games, then the little fox would be happy to play because it's what he accelerated best at. The high grass was thick enough to play hide and seek in and Naruto planned to win. Putting on a burst of speed, Naruto darted quickly left then right in a zig-zag pattern that blurred with the rushing speed then he disappeared altogether.

Sasuke drew up his horse as the fox disappeared from view and the thing was he didn't know at which point the kit had been at when he'd vanished. He glanced back to the group that waited nearly a mile away watching and most likely waiting for when the Uchiha failed. Most of the men silently hated him because of his success and the fact that Orochimaru valued him more than any of the others. There had been too many times when they had failed only to watch as Sasuke triumphed no matter what the hunting party was up against.

There had been the time when a customer had offered 5 million ryos to Orochimaru to capture a dragon for him. The hunt had killed several of the men but it was Sasuke who had finally bagged the beast. It had been Sasuke who'd brought the young green dragon into camp trailing after him like a little puppy lost. It had been Sasuke's invisible movements that had slaughtered the youth's protector and in turn defeating the little dragon's spirit and hard work. But in the end, the dragon, Rock Lee, turned on the customer when the man had gotten the dragon drunk. Lee had ended up killing the man only to be called too dangerous to those around him and euthanized.

Sasuke had been sorry when the dragon with his bushy brows and bowl cut hair had been led away in chains. An odd feeling had gathered in his chest at the dark look of sorrow on the boy's face, but he'd relentlessly pushed it away until this moment when he wondered if capturing the little fox would end in the same way. One way or another, he was determined that this time would be different.

Sasuke slid off the horse letting the reigns dangle to keep it from going very far. He pulled the sword closer to the front but didn't draw it; instead he rested his hand on the hilt. He slowly began approaching the spot where he presumed the little fox hid. It was where the grass grew the tallest and the thickest; it was the best place to conceal a body. But even as he approached it he kept his eyes moving, probing other areas of the field, and searching for a thick golden mop that would give the fox away.

As he approached he paused and listened to the wind, frowning. There had been a low thick sound but it had been so quiet that Sasuke felt like his ears were deceiving him. He took another step then let his lips tilt upwards in the beginning of a smile because this time he wasn't mistaken. He stopped and pulled a small hallow tube from a pocket, from another he took a tiny dart that was laced with a sedative strong enough to bring down a…well, a dragon. Once the two pieces were fit together, he continued stalking his prey in the high grass.

Then he caught a glimpse of what he was looking for. There in the grass to his left and in front of him about twenty feet away; he'd caught a glimmer of gold. The fox had made a mistake by trying to see where he was and now Sasuke had him. Gathering energy, called chakra, into the balls of his feet he leaped towards, and over, the area where the fox was hidden. His eyes widened in shock when a yellow plumed bird suddenly took flight, and scaring up several more of its companions, all of them, except for the one that had been hit by his dart.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught the movement of the little kit as it jumped from his hiding spot and darted away. But Sasuke was already reloading the tube with another dart and aiming quickly and carefully before the kit was able to get out of range of his shot, Sasuke struck, hitting the fox in the back a little off center. He heard the kit give out a shout of alarm stumble several more steps before falling to the ground, out cold from the quick acting tranquilizer.

Sasuke rushed to the fox to assess the damage done, and breathed out a sigh at seeing that the fox was relatively unharmed and would awaken several hours from now with nothing more than a head ache. He hobbled the fox's feet and hands then whistled for his horse. The large animal trotted obediently over to him so that he could secure the fox to his saddle and swing up behind him.

"Good work, Sasuke," came the low hissing from Orochimaru as the man approached him. "The golden fox should make us a lot of ryos when sold."

Sasuke noted that the snake man's arm had been bandaged and he couldn't help feel satisfaction that the kit had been the one to take a bite out of it. It showed that the boy was full of spirit and wouldn't be easily tamed.

"The kit isn't going to be sold," Sasuke stated coldly then turned his horse to make his way back towards the camp they'd made the day before.

"Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru gritted out.

"When I joined you, you told me that I could have my pick of the 'litter'," Sasuke reminded the man. "I didn't choose then, but I am choosing now. The fox belongs to me."

Sasuke rode away unaware of the narrowed eyes that followed him, of the hatred that had grown, and the sudden grin on the snake man's face. Orochimaru now had the means to control the raven that had just turned his back on him. How dare he talk that way to the man who had taught him everything he knew?

Sasuke made it back to their base camp in record time. He slid off the horse and pulled the little fox into his arms, then strode to his tent. He carefully laid the boy on the comfortable pallet. He turned the fox over to inspect the tiny wound to make sure that there wasn't any adverse reaction to the tranq before covering the form with a blanket.

He stared down at the fox for a few minutes, his face softening unknowingly, as he watched the kit sleep. The golden hair was incredibly soft looking and Sasuke couldn't resist the temptation to slide his hands through it to find that it was even silkier than it looked. He watched as a few strands seemed to curl around his fingers as if to keep the touch there. His sensitive finger tips found a spot just behind a large ear that was even softer than the hair and he scratched it. A soft snuffling sound reached Sasuke's ears and the fox leaned into the touch but didn't wake.

Sasuke heard a sound outside of the tent and lifted the flap to see a small, black haired kitten staring up at him with nearly white eyes. He would almost believe that she was blind, if it wasn't for the fact that he knew those eyes could detect even the tiniest life form from several miles away.

The cat family, Hyuuga, was their greatest asset during these hunts. They were used to find the animal's dens so that the hunters could bag the prey easily. Without the cats' eyes then it would be nearly impossible for the hunters to fulfill orders.

"Hinata, what do you want? Where is your cousin and keeper, Neji?" Sasuke asked the girl.

"H-He went t-to g-get some w-water," the girl replied unable to meet the Uchiha's stare. "Is i-it t-true?"

"Is what true?" Sasuke asked getting impatient.

"D-did you c-capture a g-g-golden f-fox?"

Sasuke lifted the tent flap further so that the kitten could look inside. He watched as her eyes widened even more and a tiny gasp escape.

"H-he's pr-pretty," she whispered. Sasuke almost nodded but was saved by Hinata's next actions. Her hands clapped over her mouth as if she hadn't meant to let that slip before she turned and darted away, red faced.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the kitten's actions then sighed. He decided that water was a good idea; the kit would need it when he woke up, so Sasuke set off towards the small pool to refill the water bladder.

^_^

Naruto groaned as he woke. He head was pounding in an unfamiliar ache and he tried to lift a hand to stop it from spinning only to find that he couldn't. This fact brought him to confused wakefulness and he remembered. He realized then that his hands were tied behind his back as well as having his feet hobbled. Terror pierced his heart and he lifted his head to look around.

The sudden movement of the tent flap caused him to flinch and he tried to scramble away from the noise. His heart hammered in his chest as he saw the dark haired hunter that had pursued him entering. Cowering, his eyes shifted around trying to find a weapon to defend himself with, but there was nothing but blankets and pillows. He searched for a place to hide and there wasn't anything unless he ducked under the blankets like a young kit.

Black eyes met his, and he pulled his lips back in a silent snarl, warning the hunter. The man stepped through the opening and fully into the tent allowing the flap to fall back into place, ignoring the warning that the fox was giving him. He held out the bladder of water and approached the fox. A low throaty growl erupted between the two and the hunter halted his progress.

Naruto studied the man in the same fashion that the hunter studied him. The hunter moved behind him and undid the bindings around the fox now that he was back in the tent. Naruto shifted his position so that he crouched on all fours. His clawed hands tensed and burrowed into the blankets ready to pounce or run if the situation allowed. Ears folded back against his lowered head, he focused his eyes, shifting them from the front of the tent, where the opening was, and back to the hunter rapidly. He wondered if he could make it past the man and out the flap in time.

"You won't," the hunter stated calmly.

Naruto threatened the man again with another low growl.

"Are you thirsty? I brought you some water." The hunter opened the bladder and Naruto froze.

The wonderful scent of water was torture to the teenager. His parched throat making its self known as did the cotton in his mouth. The flight as well as the chase had left him dehydrated and in need. He licked his lips in a tale tell sign.

The hunter smirked slightly before allowing a few drops of water to escape and slide down the outside leather of the bag. Naruto's eyes followed the trail of the droplets closely and a slight whimper escaped. His body quivered as he tried to make a decision. He could always escape later…

Naruto slowly eased up from his crouch and waited. Approaching slowly, warily, the hunter held out the bag of water to the kit. Ears relaxed and perked forward, the small fox waited for the bag to be within reach before snatching it out of the pale hands and tilting it back to pour the cool liquid down his dry throat. The water soothed the ache there and a little slipped out of the corner of the greedy mouth to slip down a chin and leave a wet trail down an arched neck.

Distracted as the kit was, he didn't see the instant lust in the hunter's eyes as it watched that small drop of water. He didn't see the sensual lick of lips or the increased breathing. Closed blue eyes didn't catch sight of the bulge in the man's trousers before he turned away.

But highly sensitive ears did catch the sound of the man's hitch in breath as well as approaching feet.

"Uchiha!"

The name was called from someone outside and the hunter moved to the tent flap, pulling it back to reveal a smaller man with grey skin, white hair, and a small fang sticking out to the corner of his mouth. A smirk lit the man's face as he caught sight of the small golden fox that was sitting at the back of the tent.

"Suigetsu?"

The Uchiha captured the man's attention and Suigetsu turned back to the hunter.

"I've brought the tracking cuff as well as dinner." Suigetsu held up a thin gold band and a pot of roast venison with potatoes.

The Uchiha took both before dismissing the man by dropping the flap in his face and turning back to the fox.

The smell of the cooked meat assaulted Naruto's nose causing his stomach to growl loudly in approval. The small fox blushed then tried to ignore the pangs of hunger in his stomach. He'd been taught not to accept food from strangers, especially humans. And no matter how hungry he was, he was going to follow what his parents had told him.

Sasuke rummaged in a nearby trunk to find plates and eating utensils. Finally he pulled out two tin plates as well as a couple of interesting looking instruments. One end looked like a spoon while the other end looked like a fork but one of the tines of the fork had been sharpened down the edge and serrated, a knife.

He doled out equal portions of the roasted deer as well as the vegetables then looked at the fox. He smirked when the fox's eyes darted away from him and studiously stayed on the pole that held up the corner of the tent.

"Are you hungry?" Sasuke asked the fox.

The fox shook his head only to have his stomach give another loud protest. Turning a dull shade of rose, the fox continued to ignore the plate that Sasuke held out.

"Alright, suit yourself." The man shrugged then set the plate of the floor and proceeded to eat with gusto from his own. He licked his fingers loudly and hummed out little noises of appreciation trying to entice the little fox. He knew that the animal must be starving. They had attacked the settlement two days ago, and he didn't think that the small group that had escaped had stopped long enough to eat. He knew that they hadn't started a fire because the hunters would have seen it even from a distance.

Naruto glanced at the plate of food, felt his mouth water, but tried to strengthen his resolve. The smell was so delicious and warm. He closed his eyes but it only made it worse. Sweet spices assaulted his senses.

Suddenly a thought came to him. He needed to eat in order to keep his strength up, didn't he? So if he was going to try and escape it would be better to have a full stomach…

Gingerly, he inched forward and grasped the plate. Slowly he pulled it closer, half thinking that it would be yanked out of his hand, but the man made no move to stop him. Shooting looks to the hunter, he began to eat. Stuffing meat and vegetables into his mouth as fast as he could, chewing little, and swallowing chunks whole, barely tasting anything. It was only when he was three fourths of the way done that he finally slowed down, chewing the food thoroughly and tasting the delicious spices that seasoned the meat. Once finished he set the plate back in its original spot not noticing the brief flicker of upturned lips on the hunters face.

Feeling lethargic, the small fox curled up in the corner that he was in and drifted off to sleep again.

Sasuke took care of the dishes, handing them off to a boy that would wash and return them. Sasuke approached the sleeping fox soundlessly, the gold band in hand. The sedative from the dart would continue working through the fox's system for the next few days keeping his energy low. He knelt to the side of the fox and gently lifted the wrist and slipped the tracking cuff onto it latching it in place.

A mumble escaped pink lips and the fox shifted so that he was lying on his back. Sasuke looked the now still form over, watching the chest rise and fall evenly before drifting down the rest of him. He reached out and stroked the blond locks with a sure hand and heard a small purr rumble from the boy.

****

Sasuke woke slowly the next morning, feeling lethargic and heavy. A weight was settled over his chest and he looked down to see a mop of golden hair filling his vision. Sasuke's lips curled slightly at the sight. Sometime during the night the small kit had been drawn to his warmth. The fox was now lying curled against his side with his head pillowed on Sasuke's chest.

Reluctant to move, Sasuke lifted his hand and fingered the light strands, feeling how soft they were against his fingers. It was almost like stroking a rabbit's hide; they were that smooth and silky. He could now see why the foxes were so prized.

A low moan drifted to his ears and it took him a few seconds to realize that it came from the boy he was petting. The sound was seductive and exotic to Sasuke's ears and it took some of his will power not to respond with his own moan. It was bad enough that his body was reacting. Sasuke needed to move so that he didn't give himself away.

He slowly pushed the fox away then slid a pillow under his head before getting up. The little fox had a frown on his face for a moment before his features smoothed out as he drifted into a deeper sleep. Sasuke gave a small sigh of relief before he went in search of breakfast. He also needed to tell Orochimaru that he was leaving, going back to his home.

He spotted Neji sitting regally in a streamer of sunlight.

"Neji," he called. The man stood and strode over to Sasuke. "Would you fetch some breakfast for me and the fox, please? I need to go talk to Orochimaru."

"Sure, anything in particular that you want?" Neji asked smoothly tossing a strand of his long brown hair over his shoulder.

"If there are any tomatoes left, I would like a couple."

"Alright." The lithe man strode away and Sasuke saw his little cousin dart out from behind a tent and scramble after him. He was sure that she would question Neji about what Sasuke wanted and the fox.

Sasuke walked in the opposite direction toward the biggest tent in the clearing. He tossed back the flap and entered without being announced. He looked around the tent to see Kabuto, Orochimaru's aid and occasional lover, preparing their breakfast.

"Such rudeness," the man commented lightly, he was used to Sasuke's harsh attitude towards his caretaker.

"Where is he?" Sasuke asked insolently.

"For that attitude, I shouldn't tell you," Kabuto muttered just as uncivil.

"Tell me, or I will cut your balls off. You don't need them for Orochimaru's needs."

Kabuto just waved the comment away. "Fine. He's out looking for the rest of that group. There was another young fox with them. Not as valuable as the golden one but it should fetch a handsome price no less."

"When he gets back, tell him that I've left."

"Why, I thought that you wanted to learn from him?"

"I've surpassed him so I don't need to stay."

"Where are you going?"

Sasuke knew that Kabuto was searching for information. If he could let Orochimaru know of Sasuke's plans then they could scoop the commission out from under him.

"I'm going home for a few days to rest them I'm heading towards Rock Country. I've been commissioned to find a turtle." Sasuke turned on his heal and left just as unceremoniously as he arrived.

He found Neji standing just outside the tent with one steaming plate of scrambled eggs and ham. He frowned at the plate then looked at Neji in question as to where the other plate was. Neji motioned to the tent with a little smile.

"He seemed hungry," the cat stated then handed Sasuke his plate.

A loud thump was heard from inside the tent, startling Sasuke who flipped the tent flap back letting the morning light in.

The fox was on his back with his feet tucked against the cuff as he tried to pry his hand out of it. The boy must have realized what it was because he was struggling furiously with it. Blood seeped down his arm from a deep gouge in his wrist. Sasuke knew that he'd gotten the injury trying to get the cuff off. Frowning he watched, the boy tugging futilely, little growls escaping his lips.

Sasuke shoved the plate back into Neji's hands and entered the tent in order to stop the fox from hurting him self further. He grabbed the boy's wrist and moved it from his feet ducking as one of the limbs tried to connect with his head. Twisting his body and pulling on the cuffed arm he was able to flip the boy over onto his stomach being careful not to hurt the fox by pressing on the wound.

"Let go!" the boy shouted in distress.

Sasuke shocked at the husky voice that came from the fox, stilled. He knelt with the boy straddled between his legs with the boy's arm shoved into his shoulder blade. He could feel the heat that came off the fox's body and felt his own temperature rise.

"He can talk," Neji said evenly having watched the entire scene from the opening of the tent.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in response to the obvious.

"Get off, you bastard!" The boy screeched loudly.

"He's really loud too," Neji commented, snitching a piece of ham off the plate he held and nibbling on it idly.

"Hn."

Sasuke leaned over the boy. "I'll get off if you agree to not try and take the cuff off. You'll just cause greater injury if you do."

The boy growled low in his throat and Sasuke had to suppress a shudder.

Naruto panted trying to get more air into his lungs but the Uchiha's weight on him depressed his diaphragm preventing him form getting a full breath. He tried to wriggle but the pressure on his arm increased and he bit back a whimper at the pain. Instead he quickly weighed his options. He agreed but he would be stuck with a virtual collar around his throat. He could not agree and see how long the Uchiha could hold him. Or he could try and fight the painful hold and possibly end up seriously hurt. He was very tempted to go with option two though…

"Neji, get me some rope," the man above him ordered.

…Okay, that didn't sound good.

"Fine! I'll not try getting the cuff off!" he shouted.

"Good."

Naruto was immediately turned loose. He gasped in air and felt nearly light headed at the influx of oxygen. He sat up and glared at the Uchiha who was now standing over him with his arms folded in triumph. God, Naruto wanted to swipe that superior smirk off the hunter face. Instead, he closed his eyes and sank into the pain he hadn't had a chance to think about until now.

A low whimper barely heard left Naruto's throat as he thought about the past two days. These hunters had killed his family and now he was their prisoner…their pet. The offensive word played about in his head and fear followed the overwhelming grief. He dropped onto his side as sobs caught in his throat. He curled into a fetal position and tucked his legs against his chest securing them with his arms. He buried his mouth against his knee and bit it. It felt like an unfathomable blackness enveloped him. And he dove deeper into its cold embrace.

He felt a hand drift through his hair as though to offer comfort but he didn't acknowledge it. Everything seemed to blur together in a haze. He was dimly aware of movement around him and the sounds of people talking but they didn't register on his despairing mind. His dad had said that they would find him, but he knew better. He would never see them again; never feel the arms of his mother wrap around him in comfort, love, just because. He would never see his dad smiling at him or lifting a hand to ruffle his hair. He'd never hear their warm voices blending as they told him they loved him. A tear slipped past his defenses unnoticed to trace across his nose and drip into the blanket under him.

The glitter of reflected light didn't escape Sasuke's keen gaze. He frowned puzzled by this boy. The sedative should have kept him calm. He shouldn't have been able to produce enough strength to hurt himself or struggle against Sasuke. The drug was designed to kick in and render its victim unconscious when adrenaline entered the blood stream. So why wasn't the boy snoozing away on the blanket where he lay? Why didn't in essence drop off when Sasuke grabbed him? And most importantly, why did that tear rip at his heart?

Sasuke approached the fox only to find him in a near catatonic state. The boy's eyes were open but nothing was going to get a response out of him until the boy was ready. Sasuke sighed. This was going to make the journey that much harder on everyone involved.

"Neji!" Sasuke looked over to where the man was just finishing the last of the ham on the plate. Startled Neji looked up at Sasuke then down at the plate.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! It was just there and smelled so nice…"

"Forget that. How is Hinata at healing injured animals, I know that she was supposed to have been learning?"

"She's okay, not the best but not the worst either."

"That's fine. I just need someone to help with…the fox." Sasuke realized that he didn't know the fox's name and made a mental note to ask when the fox 'woke up'.

"Well, you'll have to get permission from our owner…"

"Yes, yes, where is she?"

Getting directions from Neji, Sasuke set off in search of the Hyuga's elusive owner. He approached the odd tent. It was made from paper but specially coated to keep out wind and rain. Staring at the oddity he strode forward and called out to the occupant.

"Enter," a light feminine voice called from inside. Well, at least Neji wasn't wrong as to where the woman was.

He stepped into the tent surprised at how well lit it was. Apparently the paper construction allowed the light through instead of keeping it out like the fabric of his tent did. But he still wasn't to sure about its reliability in transportation and durability.

Konan stood at the opposite end of the tent before a table. She appeared to be examining herbs that were drying on racks. The herbs had been gathered along the way and she would gather more on the way back. Her duties for Orochimaru worked in her favor. Not only was she providing a service to the man by giving him some of the best trackers but she also was able to gather exotic herbs that normally would cost her a handsome price if she bought them from a traveling herbalist.

"I would like to purchase Neji and Hinata from you," Sasuke said getting straight to the heart of the matter.

"Oh? But Orochimaru needs them."

"Has Orochimaru used them on this hunt so far?"

"Well, no…but he paid for the services."

"Then just reimburse him for the services and I will pay not only the price for the two cats but also double his fee for the service." Sasuke wasn't wealthy but he could certainly afford what he was offering.

Konan seemed to think about his offer, weighing the money he was offering and the money that she could off of Orochimaru. The two cats, Sasuke knew, were highly valuable but Konan still had Hinata's sire and dame, plus a younger sister.

"Neji is an experienced tracker who is unsurpassed so his asking price is higher that Hinata's. For both I would let them go for 10 million ryos. Orochimaru paid 5000 ryos a day for the tracking fee for a week so you pay 10 thousand which is 70 thousand."

Sasuke nearly smirked in triumph as he handed over a bag of ryos. It wasn't nearly as pricey as he had expected but it was close. 10.07 million ryos wasn't something to sneeze over. He had just obtained one very skilled tracker plus two highly breed-able cats. He left Konan to deliver the returned fee to Kabuto since Orochimaru was out and returned once again to find that his caravan was ready and waiting.

Neji and Hinata were also there which didn't surprise him. The older cat was very intelligent and knew that Sasuke was going to purchase them. He also wasn't surprised to find Hinata hovering over the golden fox who was now occupying a liter. He just hoped that the black haired cat could keep him alive until they arrived at his home.

^_^

**A/N:Oh, noes! What is going to happen to poor Naruto? I have a question...how do we know that tomatoes are Sasuke's favorite fruit? Is it mentioned in the manga and I just over looked such a trivial thing, or did someone (writing fanfiction) just decide arbitrarily to make it so and the rest of us just followed along?  
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**Huh, only 6,800+ words...I was kind of expecting more...** **So how do you like it?** **Well, like I warned, it is unbeta'd...I just can't seem to get anyone to reply to my messages. WAIT!!! Don't run off yet! Please leave a review and make this underpaid author happy! just press the button at the bottom with the green lettering (no I'm not going to tell you its pretty)!  
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**Well, to let everyone know...I have a website! It for my original stories...no, no naruto stories will be showing up there, so if anyone is interested go check it out!!!! Its at ****http:// zenerific1. webs. com - (no spaces).  
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	2. Chapter 2: Changing World

**Hunted**

_Chapter 2: Changing World_

_by Zenerific1_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. They are the work of Kishimoto.

* * *

_It had been two days, and the company was stopping for an afternoon break.

Somehow, Hinata was able to get Naruto to drink little sips of water. But short of forcing mashed food down his throat and choking him on it, she wasn't able to get the small golden fox to eat. Sasuke kept the little blond fox next to him for the most part. He'd had to buy an extra horse to carry the liter but to his thinking it would be worth it.

The animal/human hybrids were highly sought after in the large cities. There was little space in the towering city and the hybrids eliminated the need for room for the most part. Though there were people that used the 'brids in a different manner. That was to say, that they were used as sexual partners, as slaves and not pets. The unique healing abilities of the 'brids allowed them to take higher amounts of damage in that capacity, not to mention that their stamina was outrageously extended. Especially when they entered their heat.

Sasuke hadn't been bothered by this knowledge, until just now. He wondered if the young fox they had captured had been through his first heat. Then he began to wonder what would have happened to the fox if he hadn't taken an interest in him. He could see how valuable he would be to certain clients. The richly designed bordellos hidden deep in the tawdry parts of the city would have become his home. And if he hadn't had his first heat then the client would wait until it began then brought in as many high paying customers as the boy could take, the first charged an exorbitant fee to be the fox's first. Within a year the young fox would be used up, most likely hooked on drugs that would make their heat come quicker, drugs that would make the pain easier to deal with, and drugs that would make it so the bright eyes were dull and uncaring. A little after that year, the fox would most likely be dead. The client seeking fresh meat. This knowledge began to weight on Sasuke. It irritated him that he felt guilt because he had provided 'brids to these people. He hadn't cared about what they would go through, as long as they paid the hefty sum for the capture of the animal.

Sasuke gritted his teeth before glancing at the boy lying on the liter just a foot from where he sat on a log eating a simple lunch of onigiri. The blue eyes were open but he was staring at nothing in particular. Sasuke didn't even know the fox's name and it grated on his nerves that he had many questions but wouldn't be getting any answers with the boy in such a state. He wasn't even sure if the fox would survive. And that irritated him even more, because he hadn't captured the fox, defied Orochimaru, and went through the trouble of securing a safe future for the idiot just to see the boy wither away and die.

Setting aside the plate he knelt by the fox's side and studied him. There wasn't even a flicker of the eye in his direction.

He heard a rustling sound behind him and he turn to find the young cat, Hinata, behind him. Her eyes were sad as she watched the fox, a slight frown on her face. She held a cup in her hands.

"There hasn't been any change," she muttered and Sasuke was surprised that the stutter was gone. He knew that she had been nervous around him, but she seemed to have grown more comfortable in his presence. "I've been trying different herbs to see if anything made a difference, they help a little in providing some nutrition but nothing seems to work in bring him back to us. I thought that the ginseng would stimulate him, because he doesn't seem like one who would sit still for very long, but…" She trailed off, going to his other side, and lifting his head carefully. She tipped the cup to his lips having to manipulate the cup to get the closed mouth to open slightly. Sasuke heard the clink of teeth against the hard metal then Hinata set the cup side and messaged the fox's throat to get him to swallow. She repeated this process until most of the contents of the cup were gone. When she was done she laid the kit back down and gathered up her cup, leaving.

"Are you just going to lay down and die?" he asked the little fox. He glared down at the boy beginning to vent his frustrations. "Are you just going to give up? Because the boy I met yesterday, struggling to get out of the cuff didn't look like a person that would just give up." He began to build up steam as he spoke. "Coward! I bet your parents didn't raise you to be such a coward! They would want you to stay alive! Your mo—," he didn't get the chance to finish because he found himself sitting on his ass staring at an angry fox. His jaw throbbed where a fist had connected to it.

"You don't talk about my mom!" The fox yelled his voice even huskier than usual from two days of not using it. "You…your people killed her! Killed them both and all I could do was watch. I didn't even get a chance to tell them I loved them! I didn't even get to say goodbye! That…that…snake bastard…his sword…!" The fox crumbled to the ground unable to continue as he broke down into loud wracking sobs.

Sasuke watched with relief and a bit of empathy. He remembered Orochimaru laughing at the couple, the blond man in front of his mate, growling. When they had first entered the small settlement they had expected to find chaos, not the organized defense that the clan had put up. After the first assault though, most of the group had scattered, but a few were still holding out. This man had rallied the skulk to renew their efforts to stop the hunters from getting past. When Orochimaru had gone after the red headed female he'd jumped to her defense immediately.

"Stand aside, fox," Orochimaru had ordered but the man glared back. "This can end peacefully. All we want is the young golden fox. The rest of you will be free to go back to your lives."

The man had snarled viciously at Orochimaru and not being the most patient of people, Orochimaru had grown tired of the game and run the man through impaling his mate along with him. Sasuke wanted to roll his eyes at the needless violence. He thought to himself that Orochimaru for all his capabilities was somewhat stupid. Of course the man wasn't going to give up his son. But then again, the snake man probably had known that but had issued the threat anyway to see if the others would back down.

After the couple had been killed, the rest of the skulk had tucked their tails between their legs and ran off into the woods. The hunters had quickly searched the village but hadn't found any sign of the group. That was when Orochimaru had called for Neji.

"There are two groups of small foxes heading in opposite directions. The larger group has a very young fox with them which will slow them down considerably and if I'm not mistaking the golden fox is with them." Neji's eyes were exceptionally sharp and could pick up even the tiniest details. Sasuke still didn't know how the cat had known that the golden fox had been with them. It could have been anything from a single strand of hair caught in the leaves to an invisible foot print in the dirt that no one else could make out.

Watching the young fox, work through his grief, caused a pang of regret to run through Sasuke. He could have stopped Orochimaru. He'd known that the young kits had run from the first instant that they had entered the village. Neji could have been called for sooner and the young fox would have been spared the torment of watching as his parents were killed in front of him. But in the end, Sasuke had done none of those things.

Not knowing how to comfort the boy, Sasuke could do little but watch. Eventually, the sobs slowed and became small hiccups. Running on instinct, Sasuke slowly approached the fox then reached out with one hand laying it on his shoulder. The fox stiffened but didn't pull away, a miracle in the raven's opinion to say the least. Inch by inch and mile by mile, Sasuke pulled the fox into his lap and arms. He hugged the boy to his chest offering the warmth of his body. For some reason, Sasuke knew that closeness to another brought more comfort than words ever could, touch was even better. But he added words also.

"Hush, it will be alright. I'll make it alright, everything will be better." He really didn't know what he said just that a litany of words began to spill from his lips. "I'm sorry," being the gist of the cadence. It was really out of character for him, but he felt the need to be closer to the boy, to try and make up for everything that had happened in the past two days.

After the first storm of tears and sobs, the cub's cries withered to small hiccups. "Nothing will ever be alright again. My family is gone and I don't know what to do." The cub's wet, saddened voice reached Sasuke's ears. He felt a small squeeze to his heart.

Sasuke remembered that feeling all to well, though it had been a long time ago. His own parents had died when he was very young and Itachi had raised him, or had done the best he could do since he was only seventeen when their parents were killed. It had been an accident. A small herd of horses had been spooked when a real dog had snapped at the heels of one of them. In a sudden panic, the horses had bolted and both of his parents were caught in their path unable to get away, along with a few others. His father had been killed quickly having suffered a broken neck, but his mother had lingered for a few days, but her internal injuries were too severe and she died at the hospital.

But Sasuke remembered well the debilitating loneliness. The pain at knowing that he would never see his mother smile at him, give him a hug, or read him a bed time story. His father would never pat him on the head in passing, see the stern frown as he lectured him about being an Uchiha, or tell him that he was proud of him. He remembered the disquieting feeling at the empty house that didn't smell of fresh baked bread. Nostalgia crept in on him as he thought about the vase of fresh cut flowers that found their way to the dinning table almost every night.

"I know little one, but you will work through this. The ache will lessen in time and you will go on living. I will help," Sasuke said.

"How can it?" the boy asked. "I'll never forget them or what happened."

"I think that you just learn to live with it and things get easier. It hurts a lot at first, but within a year, you'll be engaged in other things, other people, and—as much as you don't want to hear it now—you don't think about them as much." Or that was the way that Sasuke saw it. It still brought about that familiar ache but it was quickly gone when he turned his mind to other things.

"You sound like you know," the boy pulled away to look up at him with a tears still clinging to his lashes.

"My parents died when I was very young, but I still had my brother," Sasuke told him.

"I'm sorry."

"Why? It wasn't you fault, it was an accident."

"But still you felt pain and I'm sorry that you had to. I used to wish that I had a brother, but my parents only ever had me."

Sasuke tilted his head to the side, puzzled at the sincerity in the young man's voice. Most people apologized when they found out that Sasuke's parents were dead, but most didn't mean it. This young fox cub had just suffered a terrible loss and yet felt compassion for Sasuke's own pain. It was something foreign to the raven and gave him pause, something to ponder.

"What's your name?" the cub asked suddenly.

The change of topic caught Sasuke of guard but he quickly recovered. "Sasuke Uchiha and who are you?"

The boy slid off his lap but didn't move farther away. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

"Is that right?" It really wasn't a question just a remark. "And how old are you, Naruto?"

The boy lifted an eye brow, then frowned thinking it over. "I don't know. I've seen nineteen solstices but I was born just before my first. Though, I'm still not of age like Kirabi." This thought brought a pout to the boy's lips.

"Not of age? What does that mean? And who is Kirabi?"

"Um…I'm not of age, because I haven't seen my first season. And Kirabi is…was one of my group. He's really strong like his brother but really annoying because he likes to rap almost every time he talks. He just went through his season and became an adult, but his brother wouldn't let him stay and fend off the hunters so he was the one leading us."

Everything that was said only confused Sasuke more and he frowned. The young cub was very talkative when he wasn't drowning in self pity.

"Your first season? I still don't understand what you mean by that? You must explain it better."

The fox frowned then turned a bright shade of red. "It's when we have our first mating season. We—ah—we…," his voice trailed off as Naruto tried to think of the words his father had used when he'd explained it to Naruto. "We go into…heat? Um, Dad said that it when we gain this need and the need is only satisfied when we have sex."

The words themselves didn't bother Sasuke, but they induced some pretty explicit pictures to form in his mind. And he wanted to question the fox further but the rustle of leaves announced the presence of another. Hinata paused when she saw that the fox was awake and coherent.

"Ah! Sasuke, you revived him?" she exclaimed the sadness evaporating from her eyes.

Neji, who had been scouting the area, appeared at her side. He looked down his nose at the young fox in a blatant show of superiority. "So it wasn't his destiny to die just yet. Well, that is good."

"What does destiny have to do with anything?" the cub asked frowning. "My dad al—." The young fox stopped and a sudden look of grief passed over the boy's face.

Sasuke could sense his withdrawal and needed to distract him again. "Naruto, what do you want to eat? We have eggs and sausages or muffins."

Naruto blinked at the sudden change in subject but didn't let it fluster him. "All of it!" He caught the female cat's soft smile and grinned at her apologetically. "I feel like I haven't eaten in days and I'm starved."

"You haven't, idiot," Sasuke commented. He'd seen the exchange and felt a little nudge of jealousy tighten his stomach muscles. He wanted the fox's attention on him, not the female. It irritated him irrationally when those expressive blue eyes turned away from him.

"Hey, where are we and where is everyone?" It was Naruto's turn to switch topics suddenly.

"We are en route to my home. And everyone else stayed at the camp. We should be reaching it by mid after noon the day after tomorrow."

"Why didn't you wait for the others?" The puzzlement was clear on Naruto's face.

"Why should I have?"

"Well," Naruto began with a little frown that wrinkled the skin between his eyebrows, "I thought they were your friends."

"They're not and I decided to go home."

"Oh, okay."

He just didn't really understand the human. Most traveled in large packs like his clan. They've never come across a lone human and the hunters could sometimes be numerous. Naruto hadn't seen the camp but from the noise that had filtered through the tents thin wall, it had sounded really big. But this human was choosing to travel in a very small band and from what he'd seen the female cat didn't look like she could protect herself.

Thinking about the hunter, Naruto felt a little off kilter by the dark eyed man. Every time he spoke to him or even watched him, Naruto felt a different emotion. It was like racing through a fog wrapped valley; one second you were fine and your path clear, the next you were dodging trees and boulders that suddenly appeared out of the mist. His stomach tightened and heat flooded him whenever he caught sight of the man. Talking with him evoked anger most of the time but it was quickly followed by a sense of homecoming or comfort which was odd in his opinion.

He was startled out of his thoughts as a plate of delicious smelling food was thrust under his nose. Looking up he saw that the male cat was holding it along with another full of sausages.

"Thank you," Naruto said taking the plate.

"Yeah, just don't get used to it." The cat settled onto the ground a couple of feet away to plow through his own meal. "It isn't in the stars for me to be your servant."

Naruto ate as quickly as he dared trying to use the manners that his mom had drilled into him. He'd never felt so hungry though. Using the fork as a shovel he stuffed his mouth, chewing little, and swallowing most of the food whole. When he slowed a few minutes later, he looked up to see everyone watching him with various expressions of incredulity, humor, and disgust—this last from Neji. The female cat blushed and looked away but Sasuke just shook his head.

"Must be hungry," Neji commented then returned to his meal only to see a hand dart out and snatch up a sausage. "Hey!" Looking up he met a dark glare.

"Just think of it as pay back for the ham."

Neji nodded, subsiding, but he began to eat just as quickly as Naruto had a minute ago.

"I'm Hinata," the female cat spoke beginning the introductions, "and this is Neji. I'm guessing that you already know Sasuke's name."

"Naruto." The cub said with a small smile.

"I'm pleased to meet you. I was worried that you wouldn't wake up, but I'm glad that you did." Hinata's face was nearly the same color as a tomato and her index fingers met—a habit that had formed from her childhood shyness. She still felt really unsure when she met new people.

Naruto gave her a reassuring smile. Sasuke watched as the young cat relaxed under that smile and felt an inexplicable need to hide the fox away from her. He rolled his eyes at this feeling and proceeded to ignore it. He was also going to ignore the need he felt to touch the young man.

*** ***

Naruto plucked at the small blanket that was draped over his frame. He was bored, past bored; he was about to enter the going insane because I'm so bored stage. The two cats had disappeared right after he'd finished his breakfast and the hunter had insisted that he stay were he was before going off to god knows where. He'd tried taking a nap but couldn't settle down long enough to do so.

He looked around to make sure that everyone was gone. Throwing back the blanket he stood up, looking around again he moved towards the edge of camp. He couldn't believe that they had left him alone. Of course, it could be a trick, testing his determination to leave. In theory he could go back to his clan, but there wasn't anything left. His parents were gone and his world irrevocably changed. He paused at the edge of the encampment then wandered to the other side. It was a large clearing and the horses weren't unpacked, nor were there any tents set up. The three horses chomped at the grass near the edges of the clearing not sensing any danger and Naruto grew bored with watching them.

There was a large tree with wide branches that looked like it would be fun to climb. He quickly leaped to the first branch and barely caught it with his hands. It was plain that he had lost some strength these past few days. Leaping to the branch should have been easily accomplished. He'd spent most of his youth playing in the trees with Gaara, Kirabi, Konkuro, and Temari. Pulling up to the branch, he draped his lank form over it. From the height of the branch he could see Hinata down by the river washing some clothing and dishes.

It was such a domestic chore and it made Naruto wonder about why the timid little cat was with the hunters. She didn't seem like the blood thirsty type of animal, unlike the other cat, Neji. The older cat was well versed in fighting and protecting himself as was the hunter. The two cats were related in some fashion but their characters were completely different.

The hunter, Sasuke, was a puzzle to the young fox. When Naruto had been running from him, he was sure that the dark haired man was like the other hunters, ruthless, uncaring, only wanted to make a quick coin for his own selfish ends. But he'd held Naruto when the boy was lost in his grief, murmured soothing words, and he'd understood what Naruto was feeling.

The trips to the small villages for supplies had shown him more than once what happened to captured 'brids. Those that he'd seen told horrific stories of being sold and raped only to be tossed aside when younger, fresher meat came along. The 'brids in those villages were forced to beg or steal for a living or worse. He could clearly picture the cougar sitting along side the road, hand held out for a coin, saying that he would be willing to do things…sexual favors for a coin. His father had dropped a handful of coin into his palm with a pitying look. When he'd asked his father why the man didn't go home, his dad explained that the man didn't have a home anymore. Until now, Naruto hadn't understood.

Naruto now understood that the man's family was probably dead or gone. He knew that his own clan would have moved on to new territory, wanting to get away from the hunters as quickly as possible. He only hoped that Gaara, Kirabi, Yugito, and Yuki had been able to find their way back. That option was no longer possible for Naruto. It would take him months to find his clan if he survived long enough and he didn't have any rations or anyway to get them to see him through the search.

Spotting Sasuke and Neji returning to the camp, he jumped down from the tree and went to greet them.

"Dobe, I thought I told you to say on the pallet. You've been sick and need to rest," Sasuke asked as soon as he spotted the fox approaching.

"Dobe? I'm not a dead last! Bastard…teme!" Naruto exclaimed at the insult. "Besides I was bored. I'm not used to sitting still but there isn't anything to do."

"Hn."

"You could have helped Hinata wash the clothes," Neji suggested idly.

"Do I look like a—a washer woman?" Naruto asked indignately.

"Well, you do remind me of a shrew."

"A shrew! You butt-lickin' pussy!"

"Enough!" Sasuke ground out interrupting the argument before it even got started. It seemed like Neji wanted nothing more than to sink his claws into the fox and Naruto wasn't much better. If he didn't get the camp moving again he was sure that they would be delayed while injuries healed. "Neji, help Hinata gather up the clothes and get them packed back up. We still have a few hours of daylight left, I want to reach home by nightfall tomorrow." He grabbed Naruto's arm and directed him away from the indignant feline before a full scale cat fight got underway. He dragged Naruto back to the pallet and pushed him down upon it.

"Hey!" Naruto yelped before the blanket was tossed over his head.

"Stay!"

"But I'm fine! I wasn't sick! I was just…just…" He tried to think of what he'd been. He didn't really remember the past two days; he'd just been lost in a fog mostly. Unable to surface from the pain of losing his family no matter how hard he'd tried. It had been Sasuke's insistent voice that had finally penetrated the fog. He'd roused enough to hear the insults that Sasuke was doling out and he'd felt angry, he'd wanted to punch that smirking mouth that had been dishing such rude comments about his parents out.

To Naruto, it felt like a lifetime had passed in the space of three days. The world as he knew it had ended and a new one began, and he didn't know his place in this new one. He felt off kilter and he wanted to strike out at the hunter, but at the same time he wanted to burrow under the blanket and hide.

"I—," Naruto began.

"There will be time enough to figure things out," Sasuke said looking down at the confused fox. He'd figured out that the fox was feeling lost. "We'll be home tomorrow night and we'll find a place for you. But until then, just take it easy."

"I don't know if I can. Could I just walk?" Naruto felt that anxious, restless feeling welling up again and he want to move, needed to move.

Watching the fox fidget restlessly on the pallet, Sasuke capitulated. "Fine, but if you start feeling weak then you will return to the pallet."

Naruto didn't agree or disagree but flipped the blanket off again and jumped to his feet with a wide smile. It lit up his whole face and Sasuke found it difficult to look away. That need to shelter and protect this boy was building inside of him. He itched to pull the fox into his arms again just to feel his body. Scowling, Sasuke turned away to check his mount. He figured that he would walk with the fox for a while.

*** ***

Sasuke had found out that the fox boy had more energy than an entire power station. He'd watched the boy bounce from his side, to Hinata's and back again for the rest of the day. He was also full of questions and when any thought occurred in that golden head he'd run off again to find out the answer. Sasuke was more exhausted from just watching him than from the actual trek.

"Ne, Sasuke? What town do you live in? I don't think that I've ever been this far south." Naruto asked as he helped the raven gather wood for the evening fire.

"I live in Konoha, formally known as the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

"Why is it called that?"

"Maybe because it's surrounded on almost all sides by a huge forest, or it could have been named that so long ago that the real meaning of the name is lost in time. I don't know, I didn't care about why it was called Konoha."

"What do you mean by almost surrounded by a forest?"

"It sits below a small mountain on one edge. It has a huge gate surrounding the town and past those gates is the forest."

"Why are there gates?"

"To protect us from enemies."

"Does Konoha have a lot of enemies?"

"I guess but we haven't gone to war with anyone in a long time."

"You have wars?"

"Everyone does."

"My clan doesn't and neither do any of the other clans…that I know of. I've never heard of the 'brids going to war."

"Bully for you." Sasuke could hear the irritation I his voice. He'd never been tolerant of people who liked to ask questions and having to explain everything to Naruto, especially things that he'd never really thought about was pushing him past his patience container.

"Sasuke, what is your home like? Is it big?"

"Look, Naruto, I just want to get the wood gathered so that we can get back to camp. I'm tired and answering all of these questions is irritating." He looked up to glare at the kit.

"Oh," Naruto said. He looked down at the ground his ears drooping as he fell silent returning to the task of picking up dead fall to burn.

Sasuke felt a nudge of guilt as he looked at the smaller man and the crest fallen ears. He sighed as he bent to pick up a slender branch.

"I live with my brother because my parents were killed several years ago. The house is big enough for several people but it's usually empty. My brother works for the city guard, patrolling the gates and occasionally going to different places to settle disputes that crop up in neighboring cities and countries. I make a decent enough living by providing rich clients with their animal of choice. But I'm thinking about changing my career. I might attend the academy to be trained in the things that my brother is trained in." He didn't know why he was sharing this with the fox. It really hadn't registered that he was unsatisfied with hunting, but now that he'd said it, he decided that it was a good idea. He knew that Itachi would be happy. Itachi had been trying to get him to change his career since he first chose to become a hunter. His family too would be happy with that decision, since he father had been with the local police who worked to keep the city safe from its more 'enterprising' residents. Hell, he could probably even go into that line of work and still be satisfied. The only reason he'd chosen to be a hunter was because he was tired of chasing after his brother only to be lost in Itachi's shadow.

"Why would you want to change your job?" Naruto asked pulling Sasuke out of his thoughts. Sasuke looked up to see that the sad look was gone from the fox's countenance and his ears were once again sitting high on his head.

"For most of my life, I've been chasing after my older brother, Itachi. He was also so good at everything and I felt like I never measured up. My father would compare me to him. I'd get a good mark in school and I would hear about how Itachi had gotten a better mark. It never seemed to fail that when I did something Itachi had done it better and at a younger age. So when it came time to chose my career, I wanted to do something different. So I became a hunter and I was good at it."

"So why would you want to change now?"

Sasuke stopped and sat down on a boulder that was nearby. He dropped his pile of wood on the ground. Naruto perched next to him and placed his armful of branches and twigs on top of Sasuke's. His full attention was now on the raven, listening intently to the voice that had reached through his despair and pulled him out of it. Resting his feet on the boulder, naruto wrapped his arms around his knees, his tail swishing back and forth on the rock before stilling as the boy focused on the man.

"A few months ago, I went on a hunt for a dragon. Several of the other hunters had tried and failed to bring the dragon in so the client had raised the payoff. I captured the dragon, but not before I killed his guardian. The young dragon's name was Lee and I delivered him to the client. He'd seemed docile enough when I delivered him but in a week the dragon killed the client. The council ruled that the dragon was too dangerous and euthanized him. I don't know what it was about him that has stuck with me. I don't usually hear about what happens to the client after I fulfill the contract. This client was in my district, however. Maybe it was the way the man died, the client got Lee drunk and the dragon must have seen him as a threat and killed him, broke his neck. Or it could have been that I remember the terrified look in Lee's eyes as I gave him over to the client. I just know that I see him in my dreams." Sasuke trailed off.

"So why didn't you just give up the hunt then?"

"I…I don't know. I thought about it but for some reason I didn't think that I should." Sasuke studied his hands that were resting on his thighs.

Naruto thought about things. If Sasuke had given up the hunt maybe his parents would be alive. He wouldn't be here, that was for sure. But would it have been better or worse?

"Orochimaru already had the contract to capture a fox, specifically a golden fox. And your clan was the only one rumored to have one. Plans were already in place for this hunt when I went after the dragon. Orochimaru can be pretty vicious on a hunt if he doesn't capture his prey right away," Sasuke stated interpreting the emotions that were flickering across the young fox's face. "I'm sorry that I couldn't stop him from killing your parents, but I can't say that I'm sorry that I captured you. I knew as soon as this hunt started that if we caught the golden fox, I was going to keep it…you."

"Even before you knew me?"

"I didn't know you when I told Orochimaru that he wouldn't be delivering you up to the client, that I was taken my cut as it were with keeping you."

Naruto didn't know what to say about everything that he'd learned about Sasuke. He was angry and glad at the same time but he didn't want to think about the 'what ifs' at this time because the possibilities were hypothetical and not reality. His reality was that his parents were dead, his clan possibly scattered, and he was a 'pet'.

He picked up the pile of branches and headed back to camp. For the first time all day he was voluntarily quiet. His ears twitched back and forth as if he was listening to the forest and not his internal thoughts.

*** ***

His first sight of Konoha was apprehensive. Calling the place a town was an understatement. It was huge spread widely over the valley floor. As they approached the gated, Naruto felt a tad claustrophobic thinking about being shut up in that city. The gate towered over them as they approached and he could only stare up at them.

The gates opened as they approached to allow them entrance into the city. There were two guards that greeted Sasuke and he introduced them to Naruto as Izumo and Kotetsu. They were fascinated with the fox cub wanting to touch his hears and pet him. As soon as one of them reached for his ear, Naruto darted behind Sasuke ducking away from the unfamiliar hand. His hands clutched into Sasuke's shirt.

"Seems he's a little skittish," Izumo laughed warmly.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted. "That would be a first."

"Huh?" Kotetsu asked trying to circle around Sasuke to get a look at the fox.

Hinata giggled and Neji rolled his eyes as he watched the fox try to get away from Kotetsu's hand.

"Hey, knock it off! Don't touch my ears!" Naruto suddenly yelled swatting as Kotetsu's hand got too close to his head. The yell drew more attention and Sasuke sighed as he tugged his shirt out of Naruto's grasp.

"Oh! Sasuke, I didn't know that you were back!" A female voice called as he straightened his shirt trying to smooth out the wrinkles.

Sasuke glanced up to see Ino rushing towards him. _Great,_ he thought to himself. He fixed a firm scowl on his face hoping that maybe she would be warned away by this one. He should have known better as she immediately attached herself to his arm.

"Sasuke, I'm soo glad that you returned unharmed. Every time you go hunting I'm sure that you'll get yourself killed," she cooed.

Sasuke heard a low growl coming from behind him and he turned to see Naruto glaring fiercely at Ino. His teeth were bared and his hand fists at his side.

"Oh, how cute!" Ino gushed detaching herself from Sasuke and reaching out to the fox to pet him, or rather his ears. Ignoring the growl, her hand found the back of his ear and began to scratch. Startled Naruto jumped a bit then his look of anger dissolved into one of bliss as Ino found just the right place to pet him.

Sasuke's scowl darkened as he watched the fox lean into Ino's touch. An irrational feeling coming over him as he watched. Suddenly he stepped forward, grasped Naruto's shirt and jerked him away from Ino.

"I need to get home, Ino. Come on, Naruto," he snapped then began to drag the fox down the street ignoring the greetings that were called out to him.

They finally reached the Uchiha compound. This section had been cordoned off and most of his extended family dwelled within the fenced in compound. He pulled Naruto with him through the opening and into a wide courtyard of sorts. Naruto hadn't protested once though he was nearly pulled off his feet when Sasuke continued to walk even though he wanted to stand still and just look at everything. Every building it seemed held the same symbol or had little flag with the symbol on it. It was the same one that Sasuke wore on the back of his shirt. It looked like a fan cut in half with the top half a brilliant crimson while the bottom was bright white.

"Hey, hey, Sasuke, what is that symbol?"

"It's the emblem of my clan. It's to remind us of everything that we overcome. That our minds need to fan the fire that burns within us."

"The fire that burns within?"

"Yes, my clan has belonged to the fire country for generations. We were one of the first families to establish Konoha and we established the police force that helps keep Konoha's citizens safe. So the fan symbolizes that we are part of what keeps our country strong."

Naruto followed Sasuke down the streets staring at every vegetable cart, every shop keeper that stopped to greet Sasuke and smile at him. He felt overwhelmed by the whole thing that he was literally speechless. He was startled when one old lady reached out and hugged him before gently tugging on one of his ears. She laughed when he quickly ducked away.

"You'll have to get used to people wanting to touch your ears. They're so exotic that we have to check and be sure that they are real," she chuckled before waving them away to continue sweeping her front stoop.

Sasuke lead them up to a large house that was situated at the back of the compound. A large garden with a pond flowing through it was set up in from of the white two story house. He blinked as the door slid back and a slightly taller version of Sasuke came out.

"Welcome home, foolish little brother."

* * *

**A/N: Ah, finally an update. Sorry that it took so long! Its unbeta'd for now, I will probably go back and fix everything later this week, but for now it is what it is. Gosh, like I said before I was only planning on a one shot but it didn't turn out that way! Please let me know what you think and click the ugly black button just below and center!**

**ZEN**

**(Thanks for telling me about that discrepancy! Its fixed now!)  
**


	3. Chapter 3: Lost and Found

_Hunted_

_By Zenerific1

* * *

_

_Chapter 3: Lost and Found_

Draped over a chair, Naruto contemplated on how bored he was. He'd explored the house from one end to the other and top to hidden basement underneath the seventh tatami mat in the temple. Neither the attic with its trunk of moth eaten clothes, nor the altar under the temple held any appeal to him.

Sasuke refused to take him out into the compound and definitely wouldn't allow him to go alone. Naruto had tried several times in the past week to get Sasuke to let him go explaining that he could take care of himself, but Sasuke was adamant and each time he'd get thoroughly pissed then he'd stomp away.

Naruto let out a frustrated breath but was glad Itachi was kept busy by his job. The quiet disapproving look on Itachi's face that first day was more than Naruto wanted to know about Sasuke's brother. It was plain to him that Itachi either didn't like him or he didn't like that Sasuke had brought home a pet. So Naruto was going to stay as far from the man as the compound would allow.

With just a wave of his hand, Sasuke had followed him to a short, private meeting. When Sasuke had reappeared he'd bee pissed and withdrawn. He'd shown Naruto to his new room and had left him there, only showing up long enough to deliver a meal of cold sandwiches for supper and the bathroom down the hall. Except for the short visit which ended in an un pleasant argument, Naruto had seen very little of the raven.

Most of Naruto's needs were seen to by a domesticated wolf named Iruka. He'd met the wolf that first night when he'd come to pick up the dishes. Frowning at the mostly uneaten food, Iruka had introduced himself. Quickly gathering the dirty dishes the wolf left without further conversation. In the morning, Naruto had been so full of questions that he'd followed Iruka around. The most the blond had learned though was that Iruka had been born in Konoha, his parents were killed by a psychopath when he was little, and that he'd been raised in the Uchiha household serving to their needs.

Naruto could feel his restlessness growing with every minute. Then to top it off he was feeling irritable because of the heat of each day. To Naruto, it seemed like each day was worse that the one before it. He took frequent baths to help cool him off but they did little to alleviate the warmth. It was only when he was with Sasuke that he could forget about how hot the weather was.

But then he was hyper-aware of the man. Naruto found that he watched Sasuke breath when it was quiet between the two. When Sasuke spoke, the young fox would stare at the movement of his lips. He'd caught himself licking his lips after watching Sasuke do the same. There was an instinctive urge to touch the raven. To feel the muscles moving underneath the pale skin, to trace the contours with sensitive fingers finding each dip and bump. Naruto wanted to bite the pulse that raced in the man's throat, not enough to draw blood, but enough to make it leap as his heart did when Sasuke looked at him.

Sometimes Naruto would catch Sasuke watching him. On those occasions, Sasuke would turn away from the fox, his face flushed. Naruto just wished that there were more of those occasions. He liked the thought of Sasuke looking at him in the same way that he looked at Sasuke.

Naruto's ears pricked up as he heard the sound of voices coming down the hall. The door was cracked just a bit, not enough to be visible noticeable but enough for the voices to be clear. It was Itachi and Sasuke and they were discussing him.

"…care! I'm an adult and I can make my own decisions!" Sasuke was hissing.

"Father would roll over in his grave if he knew that you'd brought a 'brid home," Itachi said levelly. "You should get rid of it before the rest of Konoha find out. You know that they will speculate on whether you are using him and it will ruin your reputation and the reputation of the Uchiha. Madara has given you a direct order to remove the pet from this compound and you would do well to listen to him."

"The elder is an opinionated fool. He doesn't know Naruto, and neither does anyone else. I kept the fox because if I didn't he would have been sold to the client, his life and body used harshly then tossed aside. When the contract was signed, Orochimaru agreed to allow me my choice of 'brids. Since Naruto is one of the rarest, then that meant he was more valuable than any of the other species, so it was only logical that I retained ownership."

The way that they discussed him, in even tones, like he was a piece of fruit that they were deciding to buy, left him feeling isolated. A shard of ice seemed to pierce his chest. Wanting to run, Naruto forced his feet to remain still as he listened to the rest of the conversation.

"So what? Are you going to wait until its price rises and then sell it off to the highest bidder? Breed it? What are you planning to do with it?"

Naruto gritted his teeth as the way Itachi referred to him as asexual, like he wasn't even a creature with feeling, just a simple toy.

"_Naruto_ isn't an it. And perhaps that is what I am planning to do. But if I am then it really isn't any of any concern to you. This…venture…is my affair and no one elses," Sasuke bit out, the anger easily detected in his voice. "I will sell him, breed him, or just let him be as I see fit. I won't tolerate any interference from you or Madara."

A rebellious compulsion seized the fox, born of frustrated boredom and anger. Leaving the two brothers to continue their argument, Naruto silently crossed the room to thw windows. Flicking the latch and easing the pane open, Naruto cleared the sill with a quick jump. The only thought crossing his mind was a resolute and emphatic need to make his own decisions for the future. Not some hunter who thought that just because he wasn't trying to escape, he was tamed. And definitely not some human brother who rejected him on site because he was a human/animal hybrid. Nor an old goat who would judge a person without even meeting him.

Looking quickly around the yard, Naruto slipped into the bushes to hide from anyone who might come into the courtyard. Making his way to the back wall, the fox leaped the wooden partition that sectioned off this area from the rest of the town. Having successfully left the compound in his wake, Naruto disappeared down the alleyway.

*** ***

Breathing deeply, Sasuke closed his bedroom door with a harsh snap. Head down, he tried to concentrate on anything other than the welling outrage. How dare Itachi and Madara try to give him ultimatums? Wasn't it enough that he lived with his brother? Wasn't it enough that he shared his income—which was considerably larger than Itachi's—with the rest of his relatives, allowing the family to care for its own?

Naruto had been a nuisance all week, asking to be allowed to explore the town, either with or without Sasuke. He didn't understand that Sasuke was trying to protect his family by keeping rumors at bay, protecting their relationship. Naruto didn't understand that if he went into the village alone, unprotected, he was prey to any human or animal that came along. An unprotected 'brid was fair game, a piece of meat to be used or eaten as the user/eater saw fit.

Rubbing his temples to relieve some of the building migraine, Sasuke crossed his room and lowered his frame to the bed. Reclining of the pillows, half propped up he closed his eyes wishing his room was darker.

He felt like he was in a press being slowly crushed. On one side was his family and the other was the fox. Each pushing against him for their own selfish desires, regardless of Sasuke's wants or wishes.

It was bad enough the Ino was telling everyone who would listen that Sasuke had brought home a golden fox, then there was Kotetsu and Izumo speculating about the purpose for Sasuke's wanting to keep the fox. If he could rewind time and go back to when he'd entered the village, he would have put a cloak on Naruto to keep who and what he was hidden.

At first, Sasuke had thought that they had accepted Naruto. His aunts, uncles, even cousins had smiled and spoken to him and Naruto with warmth; invited them over for tea and shogi. But their opinions had changed once they learned that Madara objected to the fox's occupation of Sasuke's home and attention.

Sasuke didn't understand the sudden about face that Madara. He was fine with Iruka being part of the household, serving to their needs. This struck him as being fearful but Madara had always been a reasonable man. The elder had always commanded respect from everyone that came into his presence. Why did he think that Naruto was a threat to their every tradition?

Sasuke understood about preserving the family's reputation, after all they were the family that others aspired to be; the standard by which people were judged—and found lacking. Their ancestry was impeccably riddled by geniuses and renowned leaders in nearly every powerful field. Of course, there were also those family members who were illustrious and stricken from the genealogy.

The migraine swelled and Sasuke could bear the pain no longer. From the bedside table, he pulled a bottle of super strength painkillers and swallowed two dry. Lying back against the pillows he waited for them to take effect. They did so quickly and Sasuke sank into a quiet oblivion, permeated with heated dreams of a blond fox.

*** ***

The sights and sounds of the city intrigued Naruto to no end. Ending up in the market district of Konoha by way of the alley, put Naruto into a trance with the many scents in the air. Spicy peppers were being cooked in a stew with free samples being offered. The pungent smell of meats being cooked drove him to explore the place thoroughly. Then there were the sweet, mouthwatering scent of pastries. Every other stall or booth brought a new taste or texture. It was a sensual experience and the young fox enjoyed all of it.

Venturing further, he found a river running through the town and the occasional flash of silver as a fish jumped caught his attention. Animal instinct drove him to plunge into the cool water to try and catch one of the elusive delicacies. The water countered the heat that had been plaguing Naruto earlier and once he'd finished the quick snack, he played in the refreshing liquid.

Exhausted from the play he emerged and shook from head to toe flinging droplets of water to fall through the air, capturing the light of the early evening. He shivered deliciously as the air created goose bumps on his now cold flesh but he didn't find it nearly as irritating as the heat had been. A wide grin played about his mouth.

Ears perked upright through the soggy locks. Music was playing somewhere which meant that there was a celebration in the city. It had been a long time since he'd been to a town celebration. The festivities in the small towns were often combined with games, food and dancing. Fireworks would light the sky in colorful, sparks giving him the feeling of wonderment. Naruto figured that since it was a large city everything would be enhanced and there would be more of it.

Following the music, brought the boy to a large park filled with people. Making his way through the crowd, Naruto wondered what the people were celebrating. He tried to listen to the conversations around him but it all blended into a fussy, white static in his sensitive ears. Revelry surrounded him and he finally succumbed to the joy that was permeating the air. Several tables were set up under tents and laden with all kinds of food. The music pumped through his blood and he was approached several times by various people who wanted to dance. They were uninhibited for the most part and he had to endure several of them wanting to touch his ears, though he was rewarded with the occasional scratch behind them that caused pleasant sensations to run through his body.

As the park darkened into night, twinkle lights were lit in the trees and from where they were strung overhead. Torches were also lit to help light certain areas of the park.

Making his way away from his latest dance partner, Naruto was jostled from the side as someone ran into him. Looking up he found a tall, scarecrow of a man reading a thin, orange book. The cover had a male human chasing a female human. Thick, silver blond hair stood straight into the hair falling to once side slightly and a mask cover the lower half of his face. A black eye patch covered his right eye and a thin scar sliced from eye brow to cheek on that side of his face. Naruto could only assume that he'd lost the eye and wore the patch to cover the empty socket. The man's attention was focused on the fox as the moment and that dark, blue eye flashed piercingly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to run into you, but you were about to step on a troglodyte," the man said by way of apology. Naruto's eyes felt to the ground to search for the creature that he'd never in his life heard of. His keen eye didn't find anything but the trampled grass. When he looked back up the man was snickering behind the book.

"What the hell are you laughing about?" Naruto demanded, confused by this man's strange words and attitude.

"Mah, mah, you aren't from around here are you?" The man said watching the blond fox try to get his bearings.

The change in conversation through Naruto for a second. "I've only been in Konoha for a week."

"What's your name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki."

The scarecrow nodded then closed his book with a snap tucking it into the pouch at his hip. "I'm Kakashi Hatake. Where is your master?"

Naruto drew back at that word. "I don't have a master," he said indignantly.

An eye brow went up and the white head tilted slightly to the side as he studied the boy. "All hybrids have a master, or they're fair game. Where is the person that you were staying with all week?"

"He is at his home. I wasn't wanted so I left."

There was a slight waver in Naruto's voice that Kakashi heard. It was clear that something had happened to upset the little fox.

"Who was it you were staying with?"

"Why? What does it matter, I'm not staying there anymore. I'd just be in the way and he's ashamed of me."

"Ah."

Kakashi was giving Naruto a head ache so he decided that he didn't want to be talking to the man. Turning, the blond took a step to leave the man when a hand descended onto his shoulder.

"Wait, you can't just wander off without a master. Like I said if people find out that you don't have someone to protect you they will take advantage of that." The voice had lowered so that it barely reached the fox's ears. Naruto just looked at the man then shrugged his hand off.

"Then I won't tell anyone." The fox's agility allowed him to slip into break in the crowd that closed behind him as the bodies shifted. He moved through the crowd wanting to be rid of the man. Looking back over his shoulder he could see the scarecrow searching for him in an almost frantic manner.

Kakashi swore silently beneath his breath as he lost sight of the fox. In the crowd this size he needed help to search. Luck was on his side as he turned and found two of the gate guards that had just gotten off duty. Kotetsu was drowning a hard liquor trying to catch up the to rest of the inebriated crowd and his partner, Izumo, was standing by his side talking to a cute, petite woman.

"Izumo!" Kakashi shouted to be heard over the crowd, but it still took a few calls to get the man's attention. "I need your help. I'm looking for a small blond fox."

"Ha! Then you need to go to the Uchiha compound! Sasuke captured one and brought him home," the guard laughed.

The picture was getting clearer in Kakashi's mind. The little fox belonged to Sasuke and the raven probably didn't have any idea that the fox was wandering around Konoha.

"No, he's here _without_ Sasuke. I need to find him quickly."

Both men's attentions were focused on Kakashi now. The straightened and began to scan the crowd, moving in opposite directions. But Kakashi had found out how quick the fox could move and figured he would need more help. In particular he would need two more people, one to go and inform Sasuke about his missing pet and one who could track someone through a crowd.

The first was easy to find. He spotted Konohamaru and decided that the young man would be just the person to run to the Uchiha compound. The second person was much more illusive. Moving through the throng of bodies, Kakashi searched, keeping one eye out for Naruto. He finally spotted Kiba talking with Shino. Kiba's nose was keener than any real dogs and Shino could find a microscopic bug in a hay stack filled with bugs. He grinned to himself. The little fox didn't stand a chance.

*** ***

"Master Sasuke!" Iruka's strident voice broke through the drug induced sleep.

Sasuke blinked open blurry eyes and glared at the docile wolf. Iruka's face was the picture of frantic as he shook the young master trying to get a response. It had taken him a good three minutes just to rouse Sasuke enough to open his eyes.

"Please, Master, Naruto is gone and there is a messenger at the door saying that he's in the city without protection!"

Sasuke tried to process the words and sluggishly began to understand what was wrong. Frowning darkly, he swung his feet to the floor and stumbled upright. Iruka put his shoulder under Sasuke arm to help keep him upright. It relieved the wolf to know that Sasuke was finally responding.

Iruka handed him the tea laced with a strong anti-sleep agent that would counter the affects of the drug. When he couldn't get a response out of Sasuke in the first few seconds, Iruka knew that he'd taken the medication for the migraines. Having lived in the household for most of his life, the older man knew that Sasuke suffered from them, especially after having an argument with Itachi. Sasuke sipped the tea as they made their way down the hall to talk with the messenger.

Making it to the foyer, Sasuke stared at the short shrimp that stood in the doorway looking around avidly. Konohamaru was even shorter that Naruto. He had dark, unkempt hair that spiked up in every direction and small, beady eyes that took in everything. Sasuke was surprised to see him, as he was the grandson of a very prominent government official in Konoha.

"Konohamaru," Sasuke greeted. "What is the honorable grandson doing running errands?"

"Kakashi said it was important! He said to tell you that he met Naruto in the park but the fox got away. He's searching for him along with Izumo, Kotetsu, and Kiba." Konohamaru had straightened as soon as Sasuke addressed him but he now slumped back into a more comfortable pose. "Who's Naruto? Kakashi wouldn't tell me."

"None of you business. Thank you for telling me." Dismissing the boy, Sasuke turned to Iruka. "Did you check his room?"

"Yes, Master, but he wasn't there. And I checked all the usual places where he takes a nap and I couldn't find him!"

"Damn it! I thought he understood the dangers of going into the city alone. The idiot is going to get himself killed," Sasuke vented.

Turning on his heel, he stomped back towards his room to find the receiver for the cuff. Pulling it out of the pack he had yet to unpack, he made a few hand motions to activate the cuff. The receiver started working immediately and Sasuke watched the little dot moving around the screen. Returning to the foyer, Sasuke handed Iruka a small hearing device then instructed him to head in the direction of Naruto's last location of the tracker.

"Konohamaru, find Kakashi and give him these," Sasuke said handing the boy more of the hearing devices. "I have a tracking cuff on Naruto so hopefully we can pin him down quickly. Though the range is only ten miles so if he goes beyond that range…" Sasuke didn't finish the sentence. If Naruto got that far, Sasuke didn't want to think about everything that could happen to the fox.

"Right. I will head out now," Konohamaru said then took off running back in the direction that he'd come.

Strapping his shoes to his feet, Sasuke went after Iruka. When he got the fox back, he would tie the idiot to his side to make sure that he stayed put, Sasuke promised himself.

*** ***

"He's to the north of your location."

Kakashi listened to the random instruction that came from the ear piece that the Uchiha had sent. He was tired and irritated that it was taking this long to catch the little fox, though he had to give the kit credit for his deviousness and ability to loose them. Sasuke's tracking cuff helped so that they had been able to keep Naruto from getting out of range by getting a head of the clever fox and heading him off. Once they thought that they were close to the boy, he would back track and head off in a new direction. Kakashi knew that the fox was playing with them. He'd even gotten a glimpse of the bright blond hair a couple of times though it was too far away to actually catch up to the kit.

"Kotetsu, head north. Izumo, you go west. Kiba, just stay on his trail and I'll go south. Sasuke is coming in from the east." Kakshi delivered his orders. The ear pieces were not only a receiver but also instant transmitters so that Sasuke could also hear the orders being given and any comments that were made.

Kiba had made the earlier mistake of saying what a complete idiot the little fox was by leaving the Uchiha household without protection and Sasuke had nearly blown his eardrum by reprimanding the dog harshly. Sasuke was very protective of the fox. Kakashi smirked behind the mask that hid the lower half of his face.

Turning his attention back to the task as hand, he leap to the roof and heading in a southerly route.

Two hours later, Kakashi was frowning. The fox's pattern had changed and seemed to become frantic. For the past half hour the boy wasn't back tracking or going over his trial trying to loose them. It had become a straight forward all out chase. Naruto was running from something other than them.

Swearing under his breath, Kakashi picked up his speed trying to intercept the fox before who ever or what ever caught him. He could also hear Sasuke swearing lowly in his ear as he realized the same thing that Kakshi did.

*** ***

Light was beginning to shine on the distant horizon as Naruto made his way over the roof tops to drop into another alley. He laughed as he heard the frustrated voices of his pursuers. The scarecrow along with the gate guards and a dog 'brid had been trying to catch up to him all night. Grinning he sprinted down the back alley's of the city turning corners randomly. The dog was having a hard time keeping his scent as Naruto would over run his trail several times before heading to a new direction only to back track once again throwing the dog into confusion.

Naruto jumped to the roof tops again and raced over them before dropping into another street without looking. For the most part every where he'd been had bee deserted. This time he dropped into the middle of a group of late night/early morning revelers.

"Hey!" One of the men yelled as Naruto had nearly landed on him. "Watch where your going you dumb idiot!" The man grabbed his arm and shook him roughly. "I ought to teach you a lesson." The comment was immediately followed by a sharp slap that left Naruto reeling. His cheek stung and he felt blood fill his mouth because his teeth had cut the inside of his cheek.

"Look, Kisame, it a 'brid!"

The one called Kisame, pulled him closer and looked him over. "So it is. What are you doing out here this time of night little 'brid? Looking for some action?"

"Wh—what do you mean?" Naruto asked struggling to get the man to release his arm. The blue haired, dark skinned man reminded him of a shark he'd once seen in a book. The picture didn't inspire Naruto to feel safe and his mind was sending frantic messages to his feet that he needed to get away.

"Ha, don't play innocent with me. Only a 'brid without a protector would be out here at this time of night. So that means that I get to have some fun with you." The man's voice had risen in merriment and the others laughed. Naruto's eyes darted around the group looking for an opening. There were three others, One wore a white mask and glared at Naruto with pale eyes, another had his hair slicked back and wore a pendent with an upside down triangle within a circle, the last was young, and wore his blond hair up in a high pony tail, he was fondling a small clay bird in his hand.

A hand cupped Naruto through his pants causing him the yelp even as a spear of pleasure went through him. The young fox's eyes widened as he realized that the past few days hadn't been just hotter than normal but that he had started his heat. Fear lashed his small frame and the jolt of adrenaline allowed him to break the sharks hold on his arm even though it had left a deep bruise on his skin.

Using his quickness and agility he dodged the other hands and bolted down the street. Blindly racing ahead with little thought, the terror of being taken against his will had locked up the reasoning part of his brain.

"Get him!" Naruto head Kisame shout.

Dodging carts and trash bin, Naruto ran.

It didn't take long for his legs to begin to lag, though. He'd been running around most of the night and the exhaustion was beginning to catch up to him. The men weren't far behind and he knew that he would be able to lose them but he kept going. Around another corner and into another alley, Naruto pulled up short before he hit the brick wall. Looking up, he leaped for the roof.

Only to feel a hand wrap around his ankle, his flight cut short and he was yanked back to the ground.

"Caught you!" the voice hissed in his ear as a hard body settled over his. "Deidara, hold his arms. Hidan, Kakuzu hold his legs." The blue haired man pulled out a large knife. "I'm gonna cut his clothes off!"

Light flashed across the blade and Naruto felt the cold metal against his skin as the knife easily cut through the thin material of his jacket and the skirt underneath. He shivered as the air hit his over heated body and raised goose flesh across the exposed skin. Naruto whimpered as a hand pinched his nipple hard and pain flared.

"Let me go!" he cried struggling to get his hand and feet free but it didn't do any good as weight was added and they were pressed into the pebble strung ground. Rocks dug into his wrists and hands while a dull ache began in his legs from the angle they were being held in. A cloth was pulled from a pocket and handed to Kisame who then stuffed it into his mouth.

_Please, Sasuke help me!

* * *

_

**A/N: Oh, noes! Naruto is about to be raped! Will Sasuke get to him in time? **

**Cliffhanger! Sorry about the short chapter, but I have to leave it there for now...otherwise you might not come back for the next chapter! Leave a review, the more reviews I get the more I will want to update, so the sooner you get one!**

**This chapter has not been beta'd...I will go back and read through it at a later point...it just needs to cool. Thanks everyone for the many review so far...I love them and appreciate each one. Also thanks to everyone who had put this story or the author into their alerts!  
**


	4. Chapter 4: Safety

_Hunted_

_By Zenerific1_

_Chapter 4: Safety  
_

The terrified cry split the night and Sasuke felt his heart freeze. Naruto was in trouble.

Sasuke had actually been enjoying the chase; pitting his superior intellect against the kit's determination. He'd been strategizing ways to corner the boy all night and with every new move the kit unpredictably changed his movements. Sasuke had to admit that he'd been having…God forbid…fun.

Sasuke closed his eyes briefly and prayed for strength and speed to find the little kit quickly. Taking to the roof tops he opened the link between him and everyone else.

"Kakashi?"

"I heard it! He's north, northwest of me. I knew that something was wrong when his patterns changed. I'm closing in, but I think he's closer to your location, Sasuke, than any of ours at the moment. It seemed like he was running in your direction."

Sasuke nodded knowing that no one could see him and a small, worried smile played about his lips. The boy had been coming to him, perhaps knowing instinctively that Sasuke meant safety. It gave him a sense of smugness but it also filled him with further fear for the young fox. If Sasuke didn't make it in time, would the kit ever forgive him?

*** ***

Strangled protest whimpered from the gagged throat even as the knife slid under the waist band of his pants. The metal so cold it felt like it was burning Naruto's flesh. He twisted sharply and felt the bite of the blade on his hip and tried to suck in a breath. Then he let out a muted bellow and bucked against his captors succeeding in wrenching one of his hands free.

"Shit!" the blond man snarled. Naruto didn't waste any time on his triumph but threw his fist as hard as he could towards the man holding the knife. His knuckles slid past the cheek barely brushing the skin then seconds later white, static-ridden pain seared through his jaw as the man backhanded him. Flashes of light burst in front of his eyes and he was knocked back into the asphalt. His arm captured again and held down even tighter against the ground.

The cool morning air brushed the flesh of his leg raising goose bumps as the material was removed with quick and efficient movements. Unable to move and the throbbing of his face and head, hindered all of his movements, such that he couldn't think beyond the pain and the prayer that had been filtering through his head.

_Sasuke! Please hurry! I couldn't make it, I'm sorry!_

A cold hand grasped his limp member and began to pump it roughly. To Naruto's shame, his body responded to the touch and hardened even more from the touch, preparing itself for the invasion.

"Ah, it's not bad," the blue haired man spoke in a gleeful high tenor voice. "But I can't wait until I get inside of you. Flip him over, boys."

Naruto renewed his struggles and when they let go of him briefly he tried to desperately to get away but only helped them in their endeavors. Once he was on his hands and knees trying to crawl away, his legs were grabbed then his arms pulled out from under him so that his head hit the pavement again. Dazed, Naruto felt the man called Kisame pulling his cheeks apart. The two men holding his legs adjusted them so that Kisame could push his body between them. Naruto heard the hiss of a zipper being lowered then felt a blunt pressure against his entrance. Keening low in his throat, he closed his eyes and tried to focus on anything else.

"Kami's sweet titties!" Kisame snarled. "He's too small, I can't gain entry!" Then a burning bowed Naruto's back as something was thrust into him. Gagged though he was he let out a scream that echoed through the alleyway. From the wriggle of the thing, he could only guess that it was a finger. "He's a virgin!" Kisame spoke a few minutes later. "Oh, Kami has blessed us this day! What luck would put a virgin 'brid out on the streets unprotected!"

"You're bad luck," a low voice snarled from the opening of the alley.

The men turned towards the voice but no one was there. A second later a soft thud was heard behind them. Deidara was lying motionless of his back looking up at the sky with sightless eyes, a kunai sticking from his throat, but there wasn't anyone there. A burst of fear began to move through the rest of the men.

"A ghost?" whispered Hidan. He let go of the 'brid's legs and started to move away turning to dart towards the opening in the alley wanting to get away. The others two kept a hold of their captive but were looking to the roof tops. A short cry that was abruptly cut off had them looking to where Hidan had taken off. Only his legs could be seen, but they began to move, being dragged out of the opening and to the side. Kakuza's eyes widened but he didn't move.

"Kisame?"

"Hm?"

"Is the little fox worth it?"

"Doesn't matter if he is worth it or not," the disembodied voice spoke, the rage palpable in it, "neither of you are leave here alive!"

"Shit, I'm not scared of you!" Kakuza yelled. "Show yourself or can't you face your opponent. Is all you can do is stab someone in the back, are you a coward!"

Sasuke stepped into the opening of the alley wiping the blade of his sword down with a scrape of Hidan's coat then tossing the scrape aside he sheathed it into the scabbard that he was holding in his hand.

"You have something that belongs to me," he stated coldly, little inflection in his voice.

"It seems like my friend here likes him," Kakuza stated getting to his feet to face the dark haired man.

Kisame dragged Naruto to his feet, placing him in front of him. "I do, he's quite pretty for a 'brid." He fondled the boy's genitals to show off just how much he liked the boy.

Sasuke felt a hot shard of rage but controlled his expression. He'd had years of practice at being an Uchiha and an Uchiha didn't show they cared to anyone. Repressing his need to charge and slaughter these two men, he took slow even steps towards them.

"Remove your hand from my property and leave."

"Ha! Did you hear that Kakuza? He wants us to leave. Tell you what," Kisame laughed, "how about you just stand there and watch while I fuck the virginity out of this boy and when I'm done then you can have the leftovers."

"This is you last warning, let the boy go and I'll let you live. Continue touching him, I'm going to spend the rest of the morning carving you into little pieces starting with your hands."

Both men just laughed and Kisame's hand trailed up the golden skin to pinch a nipple. Naruto released a whine from deep in his throat but otherwise showed no sign of really understanding what was happening. He was lock inside himself detached from reality. It was a defense mechanism that had engaged when the mind couldn't deal with what was happening to the body.

Sasuke looked into the glazed eyes, it was very similar to what had happened when he first captured the fox and it was beginning to worry the raven. A low snarl eased from his throat and he knew that he was going to enjoy what would happen next.

He focused his attention of the man not holding Naruto, and they had a stare down. Sasuke's lip curled into a sneer.

"You guys must be desperate if you can't even get laid without doing by force," he taunted in his cold, emotionless voice. "Picking on someone weaker and smaller than you. Such brave men hiding behind a child." Ice dripped from every syllable.

Kakuza wasn't a person who liked to be called a chicken. With a deep bellow, he rushed at the man while pulling a dagger from a sheath in his boot. He slashed at the black head, but was blocked by the scabbard of the sword. He snarled low then attacked again. But it didn't matter how he attacked, what movement he made, or how skillful he was; every thrust of the knife was blocked by the scabbard. The guy wasn't even fighting back.

Sasuke smiled but it wasn't a comforting or warm smile. It was cold and evil. He soon tired of the man in front of him. He felt an even greater urge to get to Naruto because the man holding him hadn't bee idle the whole time he was fighting. He'd been moving back and judging the distance to the roof and strategizing ways to escape with or without his prize.

With a shift of his foot, he swung the sword's scabbard, disabling Kakuza. Then before the man could even blink or acknowledge that he was disarmed, Sasuke slide the blade of his sword through the man's ribs and into his heart, stopping it permanently.

Kisame froze when he saw his partner fall. He'd felt that Kakuza's skill with the knife was legendary and he'd be able to dispatch of this obstacle. With more than a little trepidation he looked with new eyes at the man standing over his friend. The guy's eyes were blood red and something swirled in their depths. He was even smiling and Kisame hadn't felt his blood freeze like it did since he was a kid watching his father kill his mother then turning to him.

"I'm giving you one last warning. Let the boy go and I'll let you live."

Kisame shuddered at the emptiness of the voice. He swallowed thickly. The knife he'd used to cut the clothing from the fox was clenched in his fist and he held it to the kid's throat. The blade slicing a thin line into the flesh and a trickle of blood slid down Naruto's throat and over his collar bone.

Sasuke watched dispassionately as the red drop paused on the curve of Naruto's clavicle and pool for a second before continuing its journey. He's jaw clenched briefly and his eyes narrowed even further.

"I don't think that you have any leverage here," he said to the raven. He felt a smidgeon of bravery shore up his courage as he spoke these words. He had the upper hand with having a hostage that the man in front of him wanted so badly. "So what you are going to do is move to the side of the alley, and you aren't going to try anything stupid while I leave. Otherwise this little 'brid is going to end up with an extra wide smile in the wrong place."

Sasuke didn't move. If he did, he probably wouldn't see the fox alive again.

"Move it now," yelled Kisame.

Sasuke shook his head. "No."

"Fine, have it your way," he said in the same tone of voice as the man used to deny him. He tightened his grip on his knife and began to move his arm in a sideways slicing motion. Then he felt a burning sensation low in his abdomen. Looking down he saw a blade piercing him, just narrowly missing the fox that he held in front of him. Numbness seeped into his body and his hands lost their grip of the knife. Dimly, he felt the blade being retracted and his body falling limply to the dirty, urine smelling street. Standing above him was a white haired man that would look like an angel, if it wasn't for the one red eye that stared back at him. Then nothing.

Sasuke rushed forward, to grab Naruto before he hit the street. A whining, whimper left the boys throat, a low keening barely heard that pieced the raven's cold exterior as it continued. He checked the boy over, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket to swipe at the blood on his throat and chest, and finding the slice in his hip and cleaning the blood from that as best he could.

A bundle of cloth appeared in from of his face and startled he looked up at Kakashi. The man's eye was hidden once more and a solemn blue eyes gazed at him. Sasuke looked at the cloth and began to see that it was a shirt. He took the bundle with a nod of thanks and pulling Naruto he tried to get the shirt onto the naked body. It was awkward and finally with Kakashi's help, they were able to get the shirt into place and buttoned.

Light footsteps sounded from behind them and he glanced around to see the rest of the search part arriving. Kiba and his dog, Akamaru, Shino, Kotetsu, Izumo, and even Konohamaru with his uncle, Asuma.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted then turned his attention once more to the fox.

"What Sasuke means to say," Kakashi said with a small smile, "is 'thank you all for your help tonight. I wouldn't have been able to find the young fox on my own and I appreciated every one for you generosity in helping. I will be sending you all a reward in the near future.'"

Sasuke looked up at Kakashi at this last part and glared, silently willing the man to die on the spot. Then giving up because the man didn't disintegrate into a million particles, he nodded to the group in agreement.

"Thank you," he said and left it at that. Shino stepped forward and began to shrug out of his long coat. Sasuke watched in interest as a slender, though muscular body emerged from the depths of the jacket. It wasn't a sexual interest but more of an observational interest. Shino didn't go anywhere without the coat and everyone that he knew had speculated as to what the man looked like underneath. He smile sardonically as Kiba moved up, staking his claim on the man. The 'brid glared at Sasuke but couldn't do more than that.

"It covers more, and it looks like he needs it to ward off the shock that he's feeling. Perhaps it would be best to take him to see Hana?" Shino commented relinquishing the coat.

"Thank you, Shino. And I think that maybe you're right. I don't know what they did to him before I arrived so I need to make sure that there wasn't any more damage to the body." Sasuke pulled the coat around the kit but didn't try to get his arms through the sleeves. Gathering the boy into his arms, Sasuke began to walk and the group with him. It seemed that they all wanted to make sure that the fox in his arms was going to be alright.

It wasn't a quick trip to Hana's clinic, since the place was all the way across town. Hana was Kiba's sister. Her master had taught her everything he knew about being a veterinarian and he'd set her up with her own little place. She was one of the best 'brid veterinarians in the Fire Nation. Many of the more prominent members of society brought their 'brid to her to be looked after.

Sasuke entered the rather non-descript building and frowned at the customers already lined up around the room. He should have known that the place would be packed even at this early in the morning. Approaching the reception desk, he was greeted with a smile by a elderly 'brid. The woman was of the dog variety and by the look of her she was probably Kiba and Hana's mother.

"Uchiha-sama, what can we do for you today?" the low gruff voice said.

"I need Hana to take a look at Naruto."

"Oh, what 'brid is he?"

"Fox."

"And how old is he?"

"Nineteen, I think."

The woman looked up at him in question. "You think? You don't know when he was born?"

"No, I captured him about a week ago."

She frowned at him then made a note on the form that she had been filling out. "Is he going to need his shots and other vaccinations? Has he gone through his first heat yet? From the smell, I would say that he's in the first stages of heat."

Sasuke was startled by this news. He looked around at Kiba who nodded his agreement. _Shit!_ Sasuke thought. He didn't know the first thing about taking care of a 'brid during their heat. He didn't know what to expect and was slightly ashamed that he was going to have to ask Hana about it. He'd been capturing the 'brid for most of his adult life, he even had one in his home, but he'd never thought to ask about Iruka's heat to find out if the man was alright. All he really knew is that Iruka would disappear for the duration of it. Was he in pain, how was he able to find someone to help take care of it? These were all questions that he should know the answer to and yet didn't.

"This would be his first heat." Sasuke answered.

The woman nodded then motioned towards the chairs.

"Take a seat and Hana will help you when she's able to."

Sasuke shuffled over to a corner seat and sat holding Naruto's still limp body against his. The rest of the group took up the few remaining seats and those that didn't lounged against the walls. A few of the patrons were intimidated by the extra people who really didn't have any business being there and got up to leave, making new appointments at later dates. Sasuke smirked and made a note to add a bonus to the reward for helping to get him in to see Hana sooner rather than later.

During the half hour that they sat there, Naruto didn't even twitch, not even when his stomach began to growl from lack of food. Sasuke looked down once. The big blue eyes were looking unseeingly up at the ceiling. Sasuke held the boy a little tighter despite the ache that was burning in his arms from fatigue for holding Naruto as long as he had but he wasn't about to put the boy down.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch up to you in time, Naruto," Sasuke said lowly so that no one else could hear. "I should have explained the reasons why you couldn't go out on your own better, made you understand. But I figured that just telling you 'no' would be enough. I didn't expect you to defy me."

"Sasuke?" a female voice called from the open door way.

Looking up, Sasuke noticed that everyone but their group had left. Standing, he began to follow Hana back to the exam rooms before stopping.

"No," he stated firmly. "You can all wait out here. Naruto doesn't need an audience in there and neither do I." He gave everyone a firm look and they all backed down to settle once more into their various chairs and walls. Rolling his eyes, he continued to follow Hana to their room.

"If you will just put him on the table…" Hana said.

Sasuke lowered Naruto to the table only to paused when arms came up to wrap around his neck and a head buried itself into his chest, the pitiful keen coming once more from Naruto's throat. He looked up at Hana as she watched with a frown on her face. Picking Naruto up once more, he turned a sat on the table holding the boy. The whine stopped and Sasuke breathed out in relief.

"What happened to him?" Hana asked, concern showing in her voice.

"He ran away yesterday and was attacked. The men planned to rape him, but I was able to stop them although I don't know how far they got during their actual plans."

Hana nodded, and then proceeded to examine Naruto. She cleaned the cuts thoroughly but said that they weren't deep enough to worry about bandaging so left them alone. She looked at Sasuke when she was done with those small tasks.

"I'm going to have to examine him rectally to see if there is indeed any damage," she began and Sasuke could see immediately what she meant.

Thinking quickly, Sasuke moved up to sit sideways on the table. Naruto thought that he was leaving him and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's waist. They were able to maneuver the fox around so that he was lying on his stomach with his head in Sasuke lap, but the whimpering had begun again but didn't subside this time.

Through out Hana's examination the whimpering continued, rising when Hana had to do the rectal exam but otherwise just a maintained low wounded sound. When she was done, Sasuke once more gathered the fox into his arms. He no longer cared if someone found it distasteful; he needed the sounds that Naruto was making to stop. Nor did he care about his reputation as an Uchiha; he pressed his own face into the fox's shoulder and breathed in the earthy scent, taking comfort from the warmth of the boy in his arms.

Hana watched them for a moment with a warm look in her gaze. It had been a long time since she'd seen two people who were more than right for each other. They seemed to be the opposites, dark and light. And the Uchiha was very protective towards the fox. She couldn't judge the fox's personality because he was still too traumatized by what had taken place but she bet that he was energetic and playful.

"There is some minor tearing around his anus, but it doesn't look like they were able to penetrate him. Other than the cuts and a few bruises, physically he is fine. I would give him a few days to recover mentally, but I don't think that there is anything that rest and some care won't take care of.

"However, he is in the first stages of his heat, in three days time it will be a full blown heat. I'm guessing that this is his first?"

Sasuke nodded.

"In that case, I would suggest that you find him a partner quickly. The first is always the worst, because he doesn't know what its like. If he were with his family and in the wild, they would already have picked a mate for him, someone older and more experienced to see him through it. Then afterwards they would find him a more permanent mate."

"What do I need to expect?" Sasuke asked, blushing a little.

"What do you mean?"

"I…I don't know the first thing about a 'brid going through their heat. Is there something that I should be aware of, odd behaviors, cravings, thing that are out of the ordinary?"

Hana smiled widely suppressing her laugh because she didn't think that the young man sitting there holding the fox would appreciate it. "Other that an almost uncontrollable need to procreate?" She asked, and watched as Sasuke's eyes met hers in a flare of anger. "He will feel hot, sometimes panting to try and cool down. It might be a good idea for him to take cool showers or baths frequently. During the actual heat and mating, he won't feel like eating, so before it actually happens several meals that are high in protein are recommended. He might even start to rub against things…walls, furniture, maybe even people…"

"What do you mean by rub against…things?" Sasuke questioned.

"Well…um, have you ever seen a cat, not a 'brid, in heat. They rub their bodies against the furniture, nuzzling. I would say that Naruto will feel the need for more touch, so maybe petting him a lot will help control those urges."

"So he needs to eat more meat, be petted more, and have a lot of cold showers. What about finding him a mate? Do you have any recommendations?"

"Nara-sama has a female fox. I also heard about one in the Wind country, but if would take far too long to reach there. It would be torture for the boy to endure a heat that long, so I don't recommend going there now. So, Nara's fox is the best recommendation that I can give."

Sasuke knew exactly who, Hana was talking about. He'd been on the hunt last year when they'd taken the male and female fox. The female had been sold to Nara while the male had been shipped to Suna. A captain over there had purchased him.

He'd take Naruto home and then call on Nara so see if he could arrange something. He left the exam room with Naruto once more carried in his arms and went to reassure the rest of the group that the boy would be fine. Kakashi and Shino said that they would come over for a visit next week and the rest expressed their wishes for a speedy recovery for the boy.

*** ***

"I'm sorry, Uchiha," Shikamaru Nara was saying.

Sasuke had dropped Naruto off in his room, leaving him in Hinata's and Iruka's care. The older man relieved that the boy was safe, and the cat worried once more about the fox's health. He'd avoided Itachi who had been lying in wait for his younger brother, by going out the window.

Now he was sitting in Shikamaru's living room trying to convince the man to allow Naruto and his female to mate. Shikamaru's brown gaze looked at him steadily. He'd known as soon as he opened the door why Sasuke was paying a call on him. He'd immediately shook his head.

"Temari already has a permanent mate and he won't share."

"But…"

"Look," Shikamaru sat forward, "I'm going to be very blunt. I'm her mate, man. It wasn't planned but it happened. I won't share. If you need a mate then you will have to find a different one, or…" Shikamaru paused his hands folding into a circle and pressing to his upper lip as he assessed the man before him.

"…Or?" Sasuke pressed.

"…or mate him yourself."

Sasuke sat back on the couch and just looked at the pineapple headed man. It was one thing to think about mating Naruto, but quite different from having someone suggest it.

"It's a unique experience," Shikamaru continued, "and very arousing. I can see now why people go to the bordellos. A 'brid in heat is…well, it stimulating. They can last longer than a human, their stronger…I won't go into that, but the climax is a hundred times more powerful than having one with a human."

"I don't need to hear this," Sasuke muttered standing up. "I'm an Uchiha for Kami's sake."

"What does that have to do with it?" Shikamaru asked. "I'm a Nara, but I still love Temari."

Sasuke shook his head and headed for the door. Nara certainly didn't understand about being under pressure from his family. If he gave into his urges, he would be no better that the low class people that went to the bordellos. Uchiha's were the example, they were the ones people looked up to, judged.

Walking along the road back to the compound, he looked around, noticing things that he hadn't paid much attention to. Human's and 'brids were wandering around some of them holding hands. Not just humans with humans, but human's with 'brids, and 'brids with 'brids (human escort trailing slightly behind). He frowned when he saw a young man pull his female companion into a kiss, she was a mouse hybid. He crossed over a bridge and saw a male cat and a human girl under a cherry tree on a blanket talking and just enjoying being together. He saw the girl blush as something the cat said then leaned forward to give him a hug.

As he watched, questions began to form. If the Uchiha's were the example, then why was it that everyone didn't followed their example. They didn't seem to be embarrassed about being together, or even sexually involved. The other citizens didn't look back at them with disgust or anger. To them it was just common everyday life.

The closer he got to home he noticed a different sight. A young dog 'brid was trailing behind a woman, fear etched onto his face. When the woman looked back, he ducked into an alleyway. Frowning he paused to watch the woman's shoulder fall before she turned away and continued up the road, turning into a well groomed yard. She made a show of locking the gate then looking back at the alley from where the dog peaked with regret. The man wilted on the spot and slid down the wall crying into his arms. The last thing Sasuke saw before the woman turned away was the tears in her eyes. She had obviously turned the 'brid out because of Madara.

He'd almost reached his home when he heard a low whimpering coming from an alley. It sounded enough like Naruto that he had to look. Entering the alley, he approached a huddled figure towards the back, hiding in the shadows. As he approached what he saw had him inhaling sharply. It was a small kitten, she wasn't even a full grown cat, but she'd been beaten badly. At the sound, the kitten looked up with terrified grey eyes. With a small cry, she scuttled even further back trying to hide in the shadows.

"Wait," Sasuke said lowly, trying to convey safety in his voice. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"No, please, no more!" the small voice cried. The kitten had hair as dark as Hinata's, but the eyes were a dark grey and were huge on her small face.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Where is your master?"

"I—I don't have one anymore. She said that having a 'brid was dirty and said that I had to go. She just opened the door and t—told me to l—leave!" the girl sobbed.

"What happened to you?" Sasuke asked crouching down but leaving enough room so that the girl didn't feel threatened anymore than she was by his presence.

"A man found me. He said that he'd be my new master an—and I was happy, so I went with him. He hurt me…" she whispered.

"I want you to come with me…"

"No!" the girl cried out. "Please, I don't want to be h—hurt anymore."

"I won't hurt you, but you can't stay here. What…what if the man comes back?"

Her wide eyes got impossibly larger and she began to tremble in fear.

"I'm not going to touch you, and I certainly won't hurt you. I just need to get you to my house, you don't even have to enter it, just be outside. I want to call a friend…a female friend. She'll come and get you and be your new master."

The child wasn't completely lost in her fear, or so mentally traumatized that she wouldn't recover in time because she finally nodded.

Sasuke sent a message by Iruka to Ino telling her what had happened and what he wanted her to do. She arrived in short order and immediately took pity on the small kitten. Ino cooed over the little cat before bundling her into a warm blanket and taking her to see Hana.

Sasuke made an abrupt and probably detrimental decision.

* * *

**A/N: WHOOO! An update my young aspiring writers and readers! Well, I hope that you enjoyed it. I'd apologize for the sporadic updates, but it won't change the fact that all the rest of the chapters will be intermittently updated.** **please leave a review! The more reviews the more I want to update so the sooner you get the next part of the story. this story isn't beta'd and if I proof read then it will take longer to put the update out! So please forgive the errors, yes i know that there are some...  
**

**Many, Many thanks go out to everyone who faved, and put this story on alerts. Cookies and brownies for all the reviews. So join the dark side and leave a review!**

**Disclaimer: Yes, I'm putting it at the end. I don't own Naruto or any of the characters, and i do not make money from this story...However if you are interested in other yaoi stories not Naruto you can visit my site at: .com.**

**Thank you and Goodnight!!!!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

_Hunted_

_By Zenerific1_

_Chapter 5:_

Naruto gasped and sat up in the blankets that were wrapped around him. His mind was full of half formed images. The puzzle was fragmented with memories of being in a dark alley surrounded by humans who wanted to hurt him, and then being in a white room with Sasuke and a woman. An aching pain just behind his eyes caused him to pull the blankets over his head to block out the light that streamed from the window showing him that it was late afternoon or early evening.

The sound of the door sliding open nearly pulled a whimper from him, but he suppressed it. He didn't know who had entered the room and he was afraid to pull the blanket down and find out.

"Naruto?"

Eyes wide, Naruto jerked the blanket off and launched himself at the raven that was standing in the doorway.

"Sasuke! You found me! You came!" Wrapping his arms around Sasuke's waist, Naruto broke into loud sobs. "I hoped you'd come and you did!" His ears swiveled back and forth as if they didn't know if they wanted to be upright with happiness or pushed back and hidden in the light locks. The tail was tucked tightly against Naruto's legs.

Naruto couldn't stop the trembling that was wracking his body but was completely grateful when Sasuke's arms came up to wrap around him. Naruto hadn't known how cold he'd been until Sasuke's heat began to push it aside. It was such a noticeable difference that the fox nearly moaned with pleasure. It was like cuddling up next to the fire with his favorite quilt on a winter's night and drinking a warm cup of milk.

"Naruto, I want you to gather up your clothes and get them packed. We're going to Suna."

Naruto pulled away and looked up at Sasuke. There was little inflection in the human's voice that gave the fox pause. There was a frown furrowing the space between Sasuke's eyes that Naruto had become accustomed to in the past week. The dark eyes held concern for Naruto's well-being but nothing else.

"Why are we going to Suna?" Then a thought occurred to Naruto. "A—are you going to sell me?"

The frown deepened and the concern in Sasuke eyes fled to be replaced for an instant with anger. "Why would you think that I am going to sell you? I've gone through a lot of trouble trying to keep you safe."

"But—but isn't that what people do with unwanted pets? I've been nothing but trouble, you say, so wouldn't you want to get rid of me?" Naruto had heard the stories, seen some of the pets when his family visited the towns.

"No, Naruto, I'm not going to sell you. But we need to find you a mate and the only fox that I know of here in Konoha already has one. I've been told that there is a fox in Suna that could be a potential mate for you."

Naruto withdrew his arms from Sasuke's waist and stepped back. He felt…he didn't know. There were too many feeling and thoughts filling his mind that the headache from earlier spiked up a notch and dulled his senses. His ears were tucked against his head but his tail twitched agitatedly from side to side. He wanted to strike out at Sasuke and he wanted to crawl back under the blankets and never come back out. The warmth from earlier faded replaced by that soul-deep cold.

"Very well, Sasuke," Naruto muttered, "I'll be ready in a few minutes."

Sasuke watched the fox's shoulders fall and his head bow in deference to the Uchiha's wishes. He took a breath and turned away. The fox would come to realize that it was for the best, and they would find a permanent mate for him once they came through this first heat. Maybe the fox in Suna would become Naruto's perman…

Sasuke squelched that thought and then had to suppress the rage that shot through him at another fox touching Naruto. Stalking from the room, the Uchiha made his way silently through the house. Rounding a corner, he stopped short and pulled back into the shadows.

Iruka was wrapped in the arms of one Hatake Kakashi. The sight was…arousing as the two kissed. Iruka's tail had curled up around Kakashi's hand that was holding Iruka's head still while he tried to devour the wolf. The white haired man's other hand had dipped under the waistband of Iruka's trousers and was currently exploring his ass.

Sasuke smirked. Now he knew where the wolf disappeared when he went into heat. Not wishing to disturb the intimate scene, Sasuke backed away silently.

Sasuke made his way back the way he'd come and took a different route to his room where he began to pack. While folding his clothes and stuffing them into a backpack, he made plans. He found another servant and sent them to find Hinata and Neji. He'd take those two with him since they'd proved invaluable on the way home. He'd already arranged the supplies; they were waiting out in the courtyard. Itachi had been informed that he was leaving.

An hour later he was waiting for Naruto.

The sliding shut of a door caused Sasuke to turn around, but it was only his brother. One sleeve of the _yukata_ he wore dangled empty waving lazily in the breeze, while the arm that would normally occupy it rested in the sling that was created by the material and the obi holding it closed. The white under garment contrasted brightly against the dark material of the outer robe, gleaming in the late afternoon sunlight.

Sasuke realized that he'd been up over twenty-four hours. Suddenly he felt tired, bone weary from the events of the previous day and night. His eyes began to burn and itch with the gritty feeling of someone who needed rest. He leaned heavily against the horse that had been saddled for his use and waited for Itachi to reach him.

"So my foolish, little brother is off on another errand for his fox." It was a statement and didn't require Sasuke to answer, but he nodded anyway. It was pointless to get angry with Itachi's constant jabs at his intellect; if he tried they would only get worse. Instead, he raised an eyebrow silently asking what his brother really wanted. "It would be best if you found a buyer for the cub. See if the owner of the fox, you wish to mate with yours, is willing to purchase it." The even tones, as well as the request, irritated Sasuke to the point that he was forced to respond.

"No, _Naruto_ will stay with me. In the event of a successful mating, I might end up moving to Suna permanently."

"Hn. You prove that you are stubborn as well as foolish, little brother. I will hope that you see the error of your ways. Madara will not accept your _toy,_ and neither will the rest of the world. They may look human in appearance but in reality they are just animals and the Gods do not look upon bestiality with kindness."

"I do not think that you should speak for the Gods, Itachi. And if I recall correctly, there are stories about gods who mated with animals."

"Only in the stories from foreigners, Sasuke. You will regret it if you continue with the path you have set yourself on."

"I refuse to follow in your footsteps, Itachi. I would have thought that you would have realized that by now. Or are you too lost in your own delusions to actually see something that is right in front of your face," Sasuke snarled, fed up with the pointless conversation and Itachi's better than thou attitude.

Suddenly, he found himself dangling from Itachi's fist as he shoved him against the far will of the courtyard. Itachi's fist was buried in his stomach. Pain radiated outward and he coughed up a spray of blood.

"You aren't strong enough to take me on, little brother," Itachi whispered in his ear, the mockery apparent even in his low tones. "You lack the hatred that I have cultivated throughout a lifetime. Only when your hatred is as strong as mine will you truly be as powerful as I."

Dropping Sasuke, Itachi turned on his heal only to be faced with a growling fox. The once blue eyes gleamed a deep crimson showing Itachi just how much of an animal the 'brid was. The whisker marks upon his face seemed to thicken as they slashed into the tanned cheeks. All in all the young kit looked like he'd gone feral in the space of a few seconds. Claws dug into fists and blood seeped from between the clenched fingers.

"Touch him again," the kit snarled in a deep, demonic voice, "and I will kill you."

Itachi raised an eyebrow at the over-protective fox. Studying the fox, his own eyes swirled red. He didn't doubt that the kit would try to kill him, but he very much doubted the boy had the stamina or skill to actually accomplish the deed. Dismissing the cub with a wave of his hand, he left the courtyard in favor of more pressing business. Sasuke had chosen his own course and would continue to stubbornly go his own way regardless of any advice Itachi gave him. Just as he always had.

When Itachi first heard that Sasuke had quit Orochimaru's service, he'd believed that his brother had finally come around and would join the family business. That was until he'd brought that fox home with him. Too caught up in the fox, Sasuke had yet to send in the documents that would allow him to attend the academy. It was yet another irritation for Itachi. His brother was as tenacious as a badger once he set his mind to do something, and his current project was the 'brid's welfare.

Naruto watched as the older brother closed the door behind him before he rushed to Sasuke where he laid unconscious. As Neji and Hinata approached tentatively, he picked the man up, cradling Sasuke gently in his arms. The glowing red eyes fading slowly back to their normal blue state.

"Let's get him back to his rooms," Hinata suggested.

"I'll find Iruka, and I think that Hatake is around. I can smell him." Neji dashed across the courtyard going in search of the two people he'd mentioned. He knew he was going to interrupt the two because he could smell the hormones that wafted through the air. Hatake wasn't going to be happy, but none of the 'brids where familiar enough about human physiology to know if Sasuke would need further help.

Naruto quietly carried Sasuke to his room, depositing him gently upon the bed. Crawling up next to him, he curled against his side. Worry and fear battling for position. Worry for Sasuke's health and fear that if something happened to him Naruto would find himself being sold into servicing people like the men who had attacked him.

Hinata found a cloth next to a basin of water. Wetting the fabric, she carefully cleaned the blood from around Sasuke's mouth. She watched the fox cuddle against their master sharing warmth and comfort. The picture they made was perfect contrasts, dark against light, like the yin-yang signs that she had seen in books and upon signs.

The hurried footsteps announced Neji's return, and Iruka rushed into the room concerned about Sasuke with Kakashi following lazily behind. Looking bored the white-haired man focused intently upon Sasuke's unconscious form. Iruka demanded to know what happened and even though Kakashi didn't appear to be listening he took in every word.

"Mah," Kakashi grunted gaining the attention of everyone in the room, "Itachi wouldn't actually do a lot of damage to Sasuke, thereby incapacitating him. I'm positive that all Sasuke needs is some rest and he'll be better in the morning. He'll be sore for a few days, probably enough to postpone his mission to find a mate for Naruto, but he will be fine." Grasping Iruka by the wrist, he pulled the smaller wolf out the door intent on finding a more private place, preferable one where he wasn't interrupted again. Iruka tried to protest, saying that he needed to be with his master but Kakashi ignored him.

"So we aren't leaving today?" Hinata fretted. "What do we do with the horses?"

"I'll take care of them," Neji spoke up. "I don't think that I'll be of help in here so I will bed-down in the barn for the night. I doubt if Naruto will be leaving Sasuke's side, so you won't need to stay, Hinata. I'm almost positive that Sasuke will still want to leave in the morning."

Hinata nodded, automatically deferring to Neji. She set the cloth next to the basin and the two left Naruto alone with their master.

Naruto sat next to Sasuke for most of the night holding his hand. It wasn't until the deepest hours of the night, when fatigue won out against the worry that Naruto drifted asleep.

The dream started the same as it always did, he was inside his tent with his parents and they were hurrying around to gather items that would make it necessary for Naruto's survival. The hunters were coming; they cry had gone up for the cubs to flee.

Through nightmare images of flames and darkness, Naruto relived that night but when his father was run through with the sword, Naruto felt the sharp sting of the weapon in his arm. He was catapulted back and was looking down at the sword then a deep, dreamless black enveloped his senses and as it slowly ate away at them, Naruto was sure that he was dying.

"Master Sasuke!" Insistent hands shook him from his sleep. Growling, he swept aside the hands and sat up wincing at the sharp ache in his abdomen. Remembering what had happened yesterday, Sasuke rubbed his hands over his face.

Looking up his saw that he was surrounded by Hinata, Neji and Iruka, all of whom looked more than a little panicked.

"What is it? And where's Naruto?" he asked, finally realizing that the blond fox wasn't among the worriers. Scowling he looked at Iruka, who dropped his head. "Don't tell me that that usuratonkachi has run away again?" He abruptly stood causing the others to skitter backwards.

"No, no Master! But Itachi…" Iruka trailed off unable to speak the words.

"Itachi what?" demanded Sasuke.

Neji stepped forward more brave than the rest. "Itachi sold him to Orochimaru sometime in the night and Orochimaru took him away early this morning."

Sasuke blinked at the cat as the words sunk in. "The HELL you say?" He stormed from the room leaving the hybrids trembling in his wake.

"I think he took that rather well," Kakashi said from the window as he dropped into the room. The levity did nothing to clear up the tension left in Sasuke's wake. He wrapped an arm around Iruka and pulled him to his side. "Don't worry. Sasuke will find Naruto and get him back." What he didn't say was that he hoped that it wasn't before it was too late. The kit had been through more than enough as it was. It angered even Kakashi that this had happened so closely after yesterday's events.

Sasuke threw open door after door of the estate looking for his brother. "_Itachi!_" He yelled as he went. "Where in the hell are you?" He reached his brothers apartments and entered without bothering to knock, only to be met with a calm Itachi.

"Little brother, what are you thinking causing a scene in front of the servants?" Itachi asked.

"Don't you fucking be all cool," Sasuke raged. "Who the hell gave you the right to sell Naruto?"

"He became a part of the Uchiha holdings when you brought him home. I made quite a profit off of him so you should be thankful for helping out your clan. Besides I'm letting you keep the cats. They should breed up quite nicely and make a better profit from their offspring."

Fuming, Sasuke clenched his fists at his sides. "You knew that I wanted to keep Naruto. He wasn't supposed to be sold! You knew this! I was taking him to Suna to be bred."

"Maybe you were and maybe you weren't. I couldn't be sure if you were just taking him on this supposed trip so that you could breed with him. And I wasn't going to let you _ruin_ our clan's reputation by fucking a 'brid. I thought I made myself perfectly clear yesterday."

"Fuck you, Itachi and fuck this clan's reputation!" Sasuke turned on his heel.

"If you pursue the fox, Sasuke, you will leave me no choice in having it euthanized. I've instructed Orochimaru to do so if you go after it," Itachi called after Sasuke.

Sasuke's steps faltered but he kept going. Orochimaru was scared enough of Itachi to actually do it and screw the loss of profit. The snake had done much worse and at a greater loss to his profits because Itachi had suggested it. He'd just have to make sure that Orochimaru didn't see him coming.

Reaching the room, he wasn't surprised to find Kakashi. The man was hugging Iruka to him in a comforting embrace, Hinata was sitting on the edge of his bed worrying the hem of her jacket while Neji paced back and forth muttering about how cruel the fates were to the fox.

"Shut up, Neji. It's my own damn fault for thinking that my brother wouldn't actually do anything to hurt Naruto." Sasuke snapped as he began to gather up the items that he would need to go after Orochimaru. He strapped the katana to his back and pulled several maps from his desk. "Neji, saddle the two fastest horses _I_ have and make sure that everything we take with us is light weight. Kakashi, will you get Kiba and Shino together? I might need more than one tracker and I know that Shino won't let Kiba go without him, plus they both are good fighters in a pinch."

"Of course," Kakashi reassured Sasuke, "and I'll be coming too."

Sasuke stopped long enough to look up at the silver haired man in gratitude. "Thanks, Kakashi. I'll have Iruka set up in your house when we get back."

Kakashi smiled behind his mask and raised a hand to the back of his head. "Ah, ha, know about that do you? Sorry, we tried to keep it quiet."

"Yeah, well, the next time don't go making out in the middle of the gardens."

"See, I told you that someone had seen us," hissed Iruka at the man before slapping his arm in petulance. "I could have gotten kicked out and had to live on the streets."

Sasuke shook his head. "On second thought, we should get that out of the way." He disappeared out the door. Striding into the empty office where the documents on the properties of the Uchiha clan were kept, he opened a filing cabinet. Sasuke shuffled through the files before he found the certificate of ownership on Iruka. He pulled it out and then began filling it out for the transfer of ownership.

He returned to his quarters and gave the papers to Kakashi, who smiled warmly at him before giving them to Iruka. "Go home and wait for me. You will sleep in my room, in my bed. You have complete control of the house."

Iruka hesitated before turning to Sasuke. "Thank you, Master Sasuke," he said fervently, bowing low. He turned back to Kakashi. "Please be careful, Kakashi."

"I will." Iruka left them to make plans.

"I'll go ahead with Neji. We should be able to pick up their trail easily enough. The problem is that if Orochimaru sees us coming then he'll kill Naruto on Itachi's orders."

"But that would cut into his profit…" Kakashi said. "Why would he make such a deal with Itachi, if he thought that he would be losing money?"

"Naruto is a rare specimen. The breeding possibilities alone are almost worth the risk. If his venture is successful then he stands to gain enormous profits for the offspring. But I'm doubting that Orochimaru has plans to breed him, at least, not right away. He is going to want to recuperate his losses in the quickest way possible..."

"Which means a pleasure house." Kakashi concluded.

"Yes."


	6. Chapter 6

_Hunted_

_By Zenerific1_

_Chapter 6:_

The light pierced his eyelids with sharp needles, causing Naruto to lift a hand to try and block out some of the brightness. The ache in his skull was amplified a thousand times. His stomach rolled with nausea while his throat felt like someone had poured sand down it. Swallowing, Naruto tried to relieve his parched throat and get rid of the foul tasting cotton.

He opened his eyes again, moaning. Squinting, he looked around trying to get his bearings and figure out why his bed was rocking.

"Ah, you're finally awake. Good. I'd hoped that the drugs wouldn't cause you to slip into a coma, but you never know. 'Brids can be sensitive to them. I've lightened the dose so that you are aware but they'll keep you from trying anything stupid."

Naruto turned his head towards the smug voice and blinked to clear his blurred vision. A young man with dull grey hair and rounded spectacles peered down at him. Smiling—not a comforting one—the man shifted to lean against the side of the cart.

"Who are you?" Naruto rasped, barely any sound came out of his dry throat.

"Hm? I'm Kabuto. Itachi sold you to Orochimaru. You were quit a pretty penny, I have to tell you. I advised him not to take the deal but he's determined that he'll recoup any losses at the next town." There was a malicious turn to the smile he was giving Naruto.

A spike of terror rushed through him causing his heart to jump. Naruto struggled to sit up, to run, but his body wouldn't respond to the order his brain was giving. His whole body felt heavy and limp. Kabuto didn't move to stop him, only watched in glee as the fox struggled. Finally spent, Naruto collapsed back onto the thin pallet he'd been laying on.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Kabuto chuckled merrily.

The rush of adrenalin burned through some of the haze and Naruto was able to think a little more clearly.

Itachi. Sasuke.

"Why?" He asked himself but was surprised when Kabuto spoke.

"Because you're dangerous."

"What?" He didn't understand. Naruto knew that he'd never hurt Sasuke, or anyone else for that matter. How could he be dangerous?

"You're dangerous. You're a threat to Itachi's—and the rest of the Uchihas'—way of life. They are comfortable with 'brids as servants, people that clean and are biddable. But there will be a time when people are going to start to question the ethics of keeping them oppressed. In fact it's starting to happen and the Uchihas are just trying to keep it at bay as long as possible."

Naruto didn't really understand half of what Kabuto had just spouted but he really didn't care. "Where's Sasuke? He wouldn't have let Itachi sell me!"

"Well from what Orochimaru said, he was still passed out when Itachi gave you the drugs. So he didn't have a say, now would he?" Kabuot chuckled. "He's probably awake now and tearing the mansion apart looking for you. But if he comes after you, we are supposed to euthanize you. I don't think it will come to that, or at least, I hope it doesn't. You were very expensive and I'd hate to see that much money go to waste."

Kami, the man spoke way too much and used words that had no meaning to Naruto. "Euthanize?"

"It means that I'll get to kill you," chortled Kabuto.

Ice froze in his veins as Naruto felt his heart seize, but it didn't last long before a slow, burning anger replaced the fear. He wasn't a stray kitten to be taken away from his parents the way he had been, and neither was he a purebred dog to be bought and sold in such a callous fashion. He was a sentient being who could think and reason for himself.

Unaware, a low growl began deep in his throat and his eyes went from crystal blue to a deep, muddy crimson. Kabuto watched the change with the same fascination as a mouse watched a snake approach. The humor he'd felt moments ago died and he slowly inched towards the small medical kit he'd laid down when checking on the fox. Keeping his movements slow and steady, he opened the bag and withdrew a small syringe and a vial. With one eye on the boy, he filled the shot, then in one swift movement he jammed the needle into the kits leg and depressed the plunger. The yelp Naruto gave satisfied Kabuto's masochistic craving for the moment. He quickly moved out of reach just in case the 'brid decided to attack him.

The growl abruptly cut off, and the kit jumped away from the sudden sting, crawling into a corner of the cart, and huddling as far away from the mad who'd hurt him. Staring at the unpleasant Kabuto, Naruto felt the lethargy creep into him. The man blurred out of focus then his image began to swim. The last coherent sight was of Kabuto's slow, malicious smile returning and, "Good night, Naruto. Tomorrow's gonna be a really hard day for you."

Consciousness returned to Naruto and this time he found that he was lying on a soft bed instead of the hard pallet in the cart. His shoulder ached and it was in an awkward position. Lifting it he found he could only move it a couple of inches before it was caught on something. Frowning, he looked up and discovered that his wrist was wrapped into a leather cuff, the buckle had some sort of lock on it, and the cuff was attached to a silver chain that was attached to the bed post. His other wrist was similarly chained. No amount of yanking and pulling yielded him his freedom. He even twisted his body around to use his legs to help. The bed frame remained unmoved and unbroken, and the chain solid. All he succeeded in doing was making the joints in his arms and shoulder to burn and throb.

Breathing harshly, Naruto looked around. The room was opulently decorated with red wall paper and velvet bed hangings. Gold and gilding were everywhere, from the ropes that pulled the hangings and curtains back to the pictures of 'brids in impossible positions with humans—Naruto refused to look at them for more than a passing glance—to the ridiculously, cheerful cherubim that laughed down at him.

He snarled at the naked—and well endowed—figures and yanked once more on the chains. The covers had been dislodged during his struggles and a cold draft whispered across his skin, making him realize that his situation was worse than he realized as he was just as naked as those stupid child-angels. If he'd been a different animal, he'd have howled and gnawed his arm off, but he eventually subsided in his abuse of his wrists and arms. Panting he tried to think but his mind was too occupied by the claustrophobic feeling that being held captive gave him. In fact it was worse now that it had been that first time.

"Sasuke." He whimpered and fought back the tears. If he gave into to those he might as well give up besides he was tired of crying. Naruto had survived everything that his life had dishes out in the past two weeks, he could survive this, couldn't he? He didn't know what it meant for him to be in this place, but he suspected that it wasn't going to be good.

The door knob rattled and Naruto steeled himself for what was coming next. He watched the knob turn as if in slow motion for time had ceased to flow properly. And agonizingly the door crawled open. A hand appeared then a mop of red hair and silver-green eyes. Naruto blinked to clear his vision.

"Gaara?"

"Naruto." A slow, somber smile graced the elegant lips of Naruto's pack mate. Gaara slipped into the room and gestured to someone outside and the door opened wider. Gaara stepped aside and a mountain of a man filled the doorway. He was dressed in light weight khaki clothes and wore a turban wrapped neatly around his head. A white veil covered half his face and the rest was darkly tanned. A somber brown eye studied Naruto before cutting to Gaara giving him a questioning look.

"He's my pack mate," Gaara said simply with a helpless shrug.

With a quick nod, the man turned back and strode across the room to approach the bed. Untrusting the new event, Naruto shrank back as the long stride ate up the room far too fast for his comfort. Seeing the fearful look in the other fox's face, Gaara ran to his side. A small hand petted his shoulder.

"It's okay, Naruto. He's my mate, we're here to get you out. No one is gonna hurt you," Gaara murmured soothingly. Gaara's presence more than the words helped to calm Naruto, but he was still unwilling to trust the stranger or his pack mate completely. There had just been too many things that hadn't gone right in too few days. "This is Baki," Gaara said introducing the stranger. "Oh, Naruto, I've so many things to tell you, but we have to wait until we are out of here."

Baki examined the locked cuffs then pulled a small leather pouch from one of the many pockets on his trousers. Opening it he pulled out a slender metal rod that was bent oddly at the end. The man pulled Naruto's wrist closer to him and Naruto winced at his shoulder ached fiercely.

"Sorry," Baki said absently with a frown.

Setting to work on the lock, it took less than a minute before Naruto was free. A flood of relief surged through the young fox as he drew his numb arm into his chest cradling it. It was nearly useless and began to prickle as blood began to move through it again. The awkward position had put it to sleep. Hissing, he waited until his other arm was free. Gaara reached out and rubbed his right arm brusquely to help return circulation.

Once a little feeling had returned, Gaara helped him off the bed. Baki pulled open the wardrobe and searched through the clothes. With a small sigh, he withdrew a dark blue robe as well as white undergarments. Dressing quickly, Naruto tried to keep the disappointment from overwhelming him.

_He couldn't,_ Naruto reminded his inner self, _if he had, I would have been killed._ But he still couldn't help the ache in his heart. He pulled the scarf Baki had found in one of the wardrobes drawers over his bright, blond hair, effectively hiding it. Keeping his head down should help to conceal him further.

The trio, went through the door quietly, Baki first, then Naruto and Gaara at the rear. They headed down the hallway away from the noise coming from the front—now that they weren't in the room anymore, Naruto was amazed at how noisy the place was. Turning the corner at the end of the passage way, there was another narrower, flight of stairs.

In mid decent, Naruto's knees buckled as a heat surged through him. Gaara caught him as Baki swung around.

"He's in heat," Gaara said incredulously. "He's a year younger, but he's in heat." When Naruto had gone down, a spicy, almost cinnamon-like musk had waft through the air and Gaara was now inhaling deeper, trying to catch that addictive scent again.

Baki tugged Naruto away from Gaara. A low growl slipped out.

"Gaara!" Baki snapped. "You will control yourself."

Inhaling deeply, Gaara tried to gather his wits and keep his instincts under control. He watched as Baki reached into another pocket and drew out a tiny, blue vial. He pulled Naruto's head back and dumped the contents into his mouth. Convulsively, the kit swallowed the citrus-flavored concoction. Gaara knew it to be an inhibitor, one that he'd seen used only once on another 'brid. A low groan came from Naruto as the drug began to work on his senses, dulling the hot sensations that were running through him.

"It will only last a couple of days," Baki explained, "before the heat will overwhelm it. But by then we should be home."

Immediately, Naruto could feel the difference as a cooling sensation started in the depths of his stomach and spread outward. Shivering, he glared at Baki.

"Well, it does have its side effects, most medicinal products do. The chill should subside within a few hours," Baki shrugged. "Let's move it. More time wasted means that the chance of being caught is greater."

The three men silently descended into an even darker narrower hall the cut across the back. A couple of open door ways lead to a kitchen that had several people scurrying about trying to serve the customers and to a office that was empty. The kitchen workers paid them no mind and they didn't meet with anyone else as the slipped from the building into the dark.

Kakashi stepped into the tent unannounced to find Sasuke pacing from one side to the other, hand behind his back and jaw clenched. He watched the younger man for a moment, a gleeful smile gracing his lips—though one wouldn't have been able to tell unless you paid attention to the slight squinting of the eyes. Wanting to chuckle, he coughed to get Sasuke's attention.

"Well?" Sasuke asked rounded on Kakashi.

Ducking his head, Kakashi answered. "The house is in a uproar and Orochimaru has placed a bounty on the kit's head."

"What!"

"Seems that Naruto disappeared. He'd been sedated and placed into a room, chained to the bed and when during the bidding, the kit disappeared."

Sasuke closed his eyes and fought to remain in control. Relief that the fox hadn't been harmed was nearly overwhelmed with the fear that someone else had him. The possibilities were endless that the kit could be in greater danger than Orochimaru's sadistic hands. The snake might have been indiscriminate about who he did business with, but the 'brids that were in his care weren't harmed or used until the ink had dried.

"I did find a witness that says that he saw a man, a red fox 'brid, and someone else leaving the house by the back door. Though he saw an angel but then he could have been wrong because he was drunk."

"An angel?"

"Said the wind pulled the hood off for a moment and it looked like the man had a halo."

Sasuke waited for Kakashi to elaborate, but after a minute, "Kakashi, finish the report."

"Please?"

"What?"

"You need to say please."

Sasuke gritted his teeth and spoke through them, "Kakashi, will you please tell me where Naruto is?"

"Oh, I don't know that."

Sasuke felt the deep seated need to shove a kunai through one eye that smirked at him. Inhaling, Sasuke tried to calm his frustration. Kakashi had ever been a pain in his ass. The man had a mean streak a mile wide when it came to the young Uchiha. "Will you tell me what you do know…please?"

"Hn. From the description that the drunk gave me, the guy that took Naruto out of the house is a desert nomad named Baki. They were last seen headed out of town, going east. That was last night."

"Does Orochimaru know?"

"According to the drunk I was the first person to ask. I gave him a handful of gold and told him to leave town with a warning that if Orochimaru got a hold of him for questioning, he won't be around to see another bottle of whiskey."

"Good, the more obstacles we can create for Orochimaru, the better for us. We need to break camp and find Naruto."

"I informed Neji, when I returned, that you would want to head out as soon as possible. Oh and one more thing, Orochimaru has called in his dogs."

Terror still Sasuke's heart, but he was able to keep it from his face. "You forgot this bit of information earlier, why?"

Kakashi smiled genuinely, "Good, Sasuke, use your head instead of your heart and Naruto will be fine."

"So its foolishness on my part to try and keep Naruto safe?"

"Depends," Kakashi replied. "I don't know your heart, but mine says that if Iruka was ever taken from me, I would cut out my own heart to get him back, because I couldn't live without him."

Sasuke swallowed. The man was not only serious in a way that the Uchiha had never seen before, but a steel core of deadly intent ran through the words. Sasuke felt the same way. But whether or not he loved the kit, or just felt the need to keep his property safe, Sasuke couldn't say.

The camp was broken down in record time, as everyone wanted to help Naruto as quickly as possible.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hunted_

_By Zenerific_

_Chapter 7:_

His head seemed much clearer than it had been since before he'd been captured, though he was plagued by restlessness-like the one before his trip to the market.

Gaara had made several trips to check up on him and see if there was anything that he needed, but was sent away without providing more than a flask of water and a meal. Naruto hated to see the disappointment on his face, but he hated even more to rely on his friend's charity. More than anything he wished to be home, but even that was beyond his reach now. Again, for Kami's sake, he was virtually homeless again.

Gaara had told him to rest and not worry about anything right now. That first things first, they needed to get back to Suna. It was a trip that normally took four or five days, and they were pushing forward to make if before the potions wore off.

Baki had explained that the potion could only be given in two doses, the second dose didn't cure the affects as effectively as the first, and that there was a nasty side effect. Naruto had asked him to explain but Baki had been evasive and said he would explain if it came to that.

Sighing as Gaara left once again he leaned back against the pillows that theyd set up in one of the open wagons. The heat from the desert sun caressed his skin and toasted it a darker tan. It had only been a day and he was antsy to move, but Baki had insisted that he stay in the wagon and rest.

"Bored?"

Naruto spun around to find a dark haired man standing just outsidenthe wagon watching him with intense black eyes. What shook him more than the eyes staring blatantly at him was the man's appearance. He resembled Sasuke, so much that it made Naruto's heart ache.

"Go away." He said in a voice that was lackluster before turning away from the man.

"A bit rude, dickless, too." There was very little inflection in his tone as if he spoke a fact instead of trying to get a rise out of Naruto.

Naruto tried to keep his calm, Baki's potion was more effective if he stayed calm. But the slander to his person…

"What the fuck, you penis envier?" He jumped to his feet, fist clenched as he readied himself to fight.

The man calmly cocked his head to the side to study Naruto. "You look much better now than you did a moment ago. Your face is flushed and your eyes sparkle with fury. I'd really like to paint you like this."

Naruto shook his head in confusion at the man. "I don't understand you, and you're giving me a headache. Go away." Naruto felt the fury drain from him but the heat spiked in his blood. A low moan was pulled from his throat as he slumped to his knees.

The man was blessedly silent but he didn't move away from the wagon. Instead he startled Naruto when he jumped into it. "Are you in heat?"

"God damn it! I asked you to go away; you're giving me a headache!" Naruto rubbed at his temples just under his nearly white locks, his hair having been bleached from being in the sun for the last day.

"You are in heat," it wasn't a question this time. "Baki must have given you some of his magic potion. Did you know that the heat is always worse once the effects wear off? It also differs from person to person depending on their metabolism."

Naruto just shook his head. "Please, please just go away," he whispered and pressed his forehead into his knees, which he'd drawn up to his chest.

A hand settled on his head brushing the locks before petting him between his ears. "You don't look so good, so I'm thinking that you don't have much time left before the serum passes from your system. I would like to become your mate."

"No."

"Don't be so quick to deny me. We are still half a day from the city, and you aren't going to last much past the next hour. I am a painter, but I make a decent living and you could have anything your heart desires. I have my own house, it is fairly good sized and there is much land with a wood to run through. Being a fox, it would be a good place for you."

Naruto looked up at the man, his heart aching at the resemblance to Sasuke. He knew that he didn't have much time and a glance at the surrounding horizon showed him that there was no sign of Sasuke. He didn't want to have this man as a mate, but he also knew logically he would have to choose. Pushing the sorrow and the dread from his heart and mind, he studied the man much more carefully.

On closer inspection there were differences. His eyes were narrower as was his mouth. There was a rosier tint to his cheeks that Sasuke didn't have, and of course, his hair was much shorter. He was leaner in build, lacking the definition that Sasuke had to his chest and arms. Naruto leaned closer and sniffed. He also smelled differently. There was a chemical scent, not the natural, earthy scent that Sasuke carried.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked.

"I'm Sai."

"Just Sai or do you have a last name?"

"Just Sai."

Naruto nodded. "Do you ever smile?"

The man was quiet for a moment before his lips curled into a smile. It was almost genuine but Naruto didn't see it in his eyes.

"That's not a real smile."

"Sure it is."

"No, it isn't. It isn't even in your eyes. It's just your lips."

"Why does it matter if I smile or not? Most people just get by with the motions. No one really cares if someone else really feels happiness or not. They don't care. I try to be honest, but I don't think I have ever felt true joy, I don't think that I ever will." Sai shifted a little closer to Naruto and his hand settled on Naruto's knee.

"That is a very sad outlook on life. I've felt joy. When my mom used to hug me or my dad told me how proud he was of me when I was able to master a skill. Surely, you have felt the same? Or when someone has told you how much they like you?"

"No. I don't remember my parents, since I was taken away from them before I had any memories and no one has ever told me that they liked me."

"Why were you taken from your parents?" Naruto asked slightly appalled at the thought of a child being taken away before they could even remember their mom and dad.

"To be a soldier. It was my village's practice to train their people from a young age to defend their village and country. We were raised in a camp where only the strong survive." Sai's fingers came up to fondle a small lock of Naruto's hair, feeling it's texture as he studied the fox.

"Th-that's horrible," Naruto exclaimed. His ears that he been droopy from most of the day laid flat against his skull and his tail twitched in outrage before curling around Naruto's calf.

Sai watched it before leaning brushing his lips gently over Naruto's causing the young fox to gasp and jerk away. A smirk appeared a moment before Sai cupped Naruto's head and pull him in for another kiss. It was longer and deeper. The man taking advantage of Naruto's shocked open mouth and sliding his tongue in to engage the other muscle in a quick game of rub-retreat. Naruto trembled as his body betrayed him. His mind screamed at him to pull away, while his body pushed closer. The heat was taking over.

"Naruto? Are you sure you don't want—."

Gaara's voice broke the trance that Naruto had settled into and he was able to jerk out of the man's reach, scrambling across the wagon and latching onto Gaara's robe.

"What the hell? Sai? What is the meaning of this?" Gaara demanded of the man who was smoothing the material of his own clothing.

"I was getting to know Naruto. I want to mate with him."

"Sai! We can discuss the potential of a mate when we reach the city, but now—."

"No. Naruto is about to lose the effects of Baki's potion. There isn't any time now. He will never reach the city. If he doesn't have a mate now, he can possibly go into a rampage and rape some innocent person, even kill them during the fever of the heat. As it is now, he won't be able to have a calm mating and it will be days—."

"Fine! I know, I can feel the heat now as well as smell it on him. There aren't any other potential mates in the caravan now either." Gaara pulled the trembling body of the fox closer feeling the effects himself of the heat. He was going to have to convince Naruto that Sai was his best if not only option for a mate, and he's have to do it quickly before the pheromones that Naruto was releasing twisted his mind into forgetting himself. Fuck!

"Naruto? Naruto, Sai is right. The heat is coming and it won't be pleasant for you or anyone else if you don't mate. And Sai is the only candidate for a mate. I'm sorry."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Naruto asked. He'd heard the conversation and there were many points that didn't sit well with him. A rampage, raping someone even killing them? What were they talking about?

"The potion that Baki developed to put off the heat has side effects. One of which is that the heat is more intense. It will choose a mate for you and it doesn't discriminate between gender or race, usually the closest possible person. It also won't wear off as quickly, meaning that you will be mating for several days, and if the candidate isn't a willing victim then it is rape and you can hurt someone very badly if not kill them if they aren't a completely willing and eager mate."

"I could kill someone during my heat? It would be better to just put me down right now!" Naruto gasped pulling away from Gaara wanting to run, but a spike of hot need dropped him back to his knees. "No!"

"Naruto! Listen to me. Sai is a willing and eager partner for you. It doesn't have to be like that! You need to make a choice now. We can get a tent up, for privacy, we can station guards outside for your protection, but you have to make the choice," Gaara said, then took a deep breath before saying the last part, the part that would probably make Naruto hate him for the rest of his life. "Or we will have to stake you down and let Sai mate you."

"That would be rape also!" Naruto exclaimed in horror and disgust.

"Your body wouldn't care," Gaara said stepping back from the wagon. He ordered his men to set up a tent then a guard.

"Gaara! Y—you can't possible mean—I…" Naruto gasped looking at his friend feeling his heart jump in his chest with terror and an underlying anger.

"I do. Naruto, these are my people that I have to protect, even from you. Sai is a good man, even if he lacks the emotions that you seem to want from a potential mate. We don't have a choice. They were taken from us by the hunters. I've grown up, and so must you. We don't always get to chose who or what or how." Gaara turned and walked away.

"Naruto, it's better th—," Sai started, but a quick downward slice of Naruto hand shut him up.

"Like Gaara just said. I don't have a choice. I never did as everyone seems intent on taking away my choices." Naruto's voice was dead and he didn't look at Sai. "I will accept this as it is. But only because I would kill myself if I took someone else's choice away from them and hurt them."

The tent was set up away from the camp, guards standing a few feet from it with their back turned. Naruto currently knelt on a blanket that had been laid out to be a bed for them. Sai was kneeling behind him.

Lips brushed the nape of his neck causing Naruto to shudder at the touch, disgusted, before a spike of heat pushed even that feeling out of his head. Hands gently cupped his shoulders sliding up and down in a soothing gesture. A nip at his neck and Naruto moaned. The robe he was wearing was pulled from his shoulders and down his arms before pooling about his waist then the thin under shirt was the next to be taken from him. He sighed at the cool breeze that drifted over his skin.

He should perhaps be the aggressor here, he thought momentarily before it was gone. There wasn't any way that he would be alpha, it wasn't in his nature.

As he was drawn around and pushed down onto the bed, he heard a distant grunt and cough but they too drifted out of his hearing and mind before they could settle. Sai continued kissing along his collar and neck small licks accompanying the touches. His hands were working on the belt undoing it and pulling it away from Naruto letting the robe spill open. He murmured in approval at being granted access to Naruto unhindered.

A glint of light shone briefly from the tip of a sword pressed against Sai's neck. Naruto winced at the brightness of the light, but then his eyes shot open at the words that came next.

"Get off him. Now. Before I slice your head from your shoulders." The voice hissed.


End file.
